Misconceptions
by Sandstorm3D
Summary: The city of Townsville...was in ruins and the rest of the world wasn't far behind. Mojo Jojo had seized control, the Simian Empire was on the rise, and the only thing capable of stopping them are the Powerpuff Girls! There's only one small problem...how were they supposed to save the day when they had no powers?
1. Chapter 1 - Just Another Day

CHAPTER 1

The City of Townsville! In complete ruin. Gone was the glittering metropolis that soared into the skies. Gone were the industrious, happy people that called this place home. Gone were the super powered protectors that made this city famous.

The once shining metropolis lay broken and decaying. It's tall sky scrapers transformed into bare skeletal husks clawing at the gray sky. Its broad avenues, once filled with vehicles and pedestrians, were barren; filled now only with refuse and rusted cars. Its parks wilted, buried under a blanket of dead leaves. A silence hung over the dead city, heavy and oppressive. The only signs of life were the scurrying rats that rooted through the trash piles, looking for food.

Yes, Townsville had seen better days, much better days. Days before the terrible reign of the Supreme Emperor Mojo Jojo had begun, before that final battle almost a decade ago where its three super powered heroines had been soundly defeated.

Defeated, but not destroyed.

The wind howled down the avenue and blew past a young woman as she crouched behind the ruined wall of an old convenient store. She tugged at the hem of her worn, leather jacket; pulling it closer to block out the wind. Fall had come early this year and it was colder than usual. Her brilliant sky blue eyes gazed at the large building across the street. There was her destination.

Her cherub face, marred by dirt stains, scrunched up as she took one last look around. Not a soul was in sight, which wasn't much of a surprise. Bubbles Utonium hadn't seen anyone inside the wreckage of Old Townsville since relocating here two months ago. After ten years away, coming back to her home was both shocking and infuriating. What Mojo had done to the place of her childhood was despicable and the sight of it ignited the normally dormant fire of hatred that she had harbored for the chimp even more.

She and her sisters had heard about the state of Townsville from the reconnaissance reports and spies that had infiltrated the Simian Empire, but seeing the reality of it with their own eyes was something else entirely. It served as a strong reminder that even though they had been struggling and fighting with the Resistance against Mojo with all their might for the last ten years, it simply wasn't enough.

His conquest had been swift and precise. Within in the first year, North America had fallen under his control. It had been chaos; no army could be rallied in time to stop him. It was only by pure luck that his lack of resources restricted his advancement towards the other continents.

By then, the Resistance had had time to get on its feet and present a fortified defense against Mojo's assault. It did little but slow him down. As the years crawled by, more and more countries were lost to the new Simian Empire. Europe, Asia, parts of North Africa, and a majority of South America were now under the chimp's control.

The Resistance which had fought so fiercely in the early years was now pushed back against the ropes. They could see the signs. The end was coming and the free world as they knew it would be no more. It was three months ago, after losing one of their biggest footholds in Chile, that the leaders of the Resistance decided to make a gamble, a gamble that would decide the fate of the world.

Send the Girls back to where it all started and have them take out the source of the problem. Mojo Jojo.

The Resistance gave them a small contingent of soldiers and all the supplies for a mobile base before sending them on their way, with the hopes and dreams of the free world on their shoulders. And what had they done since they had arrived?

Nothing. Not one single thing.

Bubbles fought the scowl off her face as she stood up and brushed the dirt from her ripped jeans. Taking a quick moment to adjust the bandana covering her hair and the scarf around her neck, she tried to push away the depressing thoughts.

It wasn't really their fault that so little had been accomplished in the two months since their arrival. Setting up a secret base right under your enemy's nose wasn't exactly a walk in the park. It had still taken a lot more work than they had anticipated though. A secure spot had to be found, then a rationing of supplies dealt out, and then a scouting of the area; troop placements, enemy outposts, scavenging missions, reconnaissance sweeps, potential troop recruitment.

All of these things had to be carefully planned and executed before any strike could be made against the monkey emperor, which was what Bubbles should have been doing this exact moment instead of rehashing old frustrations. There was work to do and it wasn't about to do itself.

A quick mental shake later and she was off, lightly jogging across the deserted street and up the front steps to a large building with a broken marquee hanging on it.

"Townsville Shopping Center." She quietly read to herself. "Perfect."

What better place to scavenge around for supplies than a mall? Besides, what girl didn't like malls? Answer, no one that she knew.

Searching for the entrance revealed it to be piled high with metal beams and rubble from the collapsed roof. It looked as if something huge had fallen on top of the building. Distant memories tried to play from the past but Bubbles shook them away and took a closer look at the entrance. At far side of the ruins was a small tunnel that gave away to darkness. It could go all the way through the wreckage and lead her into the mall. Or it could be a dead end.

Bubbles let out a sigh and considered her options. She could use this tunnel, or she could search around the side of the mall and try to find an employee entrance. But that could take too much time and what if a patrol of troops came by? Or something worse? She had spent too long loitering out here already and time was of the essence.

She stripped off her large rucksack along with the machete hanging from her back and tossed them into the tunnel. One last breath of the cool autumn air and then she crawled in after them. The tunnel was a tight fit, with metal rods and beams forming a jagged ceiling that tried to grab her at every opportunity.

Thankfully Bubbles wasn't the claustrophobic type, but it was still a hair raising experience. The darkness of the tunnel began to brighten as an opening came into view. One final shove sent her backpack and machete skidding through the opening and she shimmied out after them. She dusted off her gloved hands after retrieving her effects and took in her surroundings. It was a depressing sight to say the least.

The dusty expanse of the mall stretched out before her. Over turned trash cans lined the walkways and once much sought after merchandise littered the floor. Darkness covered everything, giving way only to the hazy sunlight that shown through the broken gaps in the roof.

Shadows hid most things from view, but Bubbles could still make out the human figures laying crumpled on the floor. A chill crawled up her spine as the back of her eyes started to burn. This is what she had been afraid of finding. A couple of deep breaths later and she was in control of her emotions once more.

'You're on a mission Bubbles, pull yourself together. This isn't the first time you've seen a dead body. Far from it. Focus! Food first, then onto clothing.'

Refusing to look at the floor, she made her way deeper into the silent mall. It was like walking into a graveyard, nothing like what she remembered in her younger years when her and her sisters spent the summers here. The lack of people made her realize how big the building actually was. There had barely been room walk without bumping into someone back in the day, now the walkway seemed much too large.

The feeling of being exposed was something she hated with a passion, but it was a necessary difficulty that she would have to deal with for this mission. You couldn't find anything useful if you didn't put yourself out there. Thankfully, the walk to the food court was mercifully quick. The faster she collected her items the faster she could get out of there. This place was downright creepy.

If the walkways with their quiet expansiveness were creepy, then the food court was something straight from a horror film. It was exactly how she remembered it with the exception that now it functioned as a massive tomb. Tables everywhere lay throw on their sides, hundreds of chairs were scattered across the area. And gracing almost every square foot of the floor lay the bodies.

Bubbles turned away from the sight with a grimace. She just had to pick the mall to scavenge in. It had never occurred to her that people might have been trapped inside. The sight was horrible, but thankfully the years and elements had ridden the place of any smell. Bubbles wasn't sure if she could have handled that.

Pushing the morbid thoughts and her frayed emotional control aside for the moment, she began rooting through the back rooms of the restaurants that lined the walls. The best way to escape the sight behind her was to focus on her mission. So, that's what she did.

A half an hour later she had a back pack half full of freeze dried food. If she was lucky, there might have been something editable in there, but that was mostly wishful thinking. How long did fast food by-product last anyway? She guessed it didn't really matter; the base would take whatever it could get until a stable supply of food was established.

It was with a relieved sigh that she left the makeshift tomb to begin her search for the next part of her mission, clothing. If the fall was anything to go by, then winter was going to be cold this year. Any extra jackets or warm materials would be a welcome find.

She stuck to the walls as she walked down the mall, scanning the area every time she thought she heard a sound and it wasn't because she was afraid the dead may start walking again, which was ridiculous. She swallowed the lump in her throat while looking back over her shoulder.

Totally ridiculous.

Besides, there were much worse things she could run into than some make believe monster. A shiver worked its way down her spine and made her pick up her pace.

Barely five minutes later, she came upon a large clothing store. The racks of clothes were scattered about, piles of half trample fabric and hangers on the floor. The front half of the store was ransacked, probably from the riots and mass exodus that took place when Mojo first took control of the city.

The back of the store remained in better shape though; the racks of clothing still stood and were displayed in a somewhat orderly fashion. Bubbles scanned the stands rapidly until she found the prizes she was looking for. Several jackets hung skewed on the wall at the very back. They were good looking jackets, dark in color and made of sturdy materials, the perfect kind to protect sensitive skin from the elements.

There was even a leather one with a hood to attached to it. Those were the best kind, her personal favorite. She grabbed the jacket and three others before stuffing them into her pack. That didn't leave a lot of room for much else, but maybe she could find another backpack and fill that one too. It would make getting back to the base harder, but it was worth the risk. A girl could never have too many clothes.

The rest of the store contained little in the way of winter clothing. Letting the pair of Capri's drop from her hands, Bubbles decided to move on. If she remembered correctly there was another group of clothing stores nearby. She might have more luck there.

Once again she stuck close to walls as she walked, not hugging them like before but close enough to stick to the shadows. The trek was becoming less creepy as time passed and nothing malevolent happened.

No evil zombies grabbed at her ankles or breathed down her neck. Bubbles gave her head a firm shake to dispel the images her mind conjured up. She really did let her imagination get the best of her sometimes. Buttercup was always telling her that, but in her defense it was hard not to do so in a place like this.

Her internal thoughts were scattered to the wind as the next group of clothing stores came into view, just across an upcoming intersection. Bubbles allowed a small smile to grow on her face. All she needed to do now was search the stores and get back to base.

It was going swimmingly, if she did say so herself. You know, besides the fact that she was in a corpse filled ruin. At least she was alone. There was nothing she found that suggested anyone had even been here in the past couple of years.

That was, until a sound caught her ears and stopped her in her tracks.

Bubbles immediately sank down into a crouch and scanned the surrounding area. That hadn't been her imagination, of that she was sure. Again, she heard a soft crash.

There! To her right.

Cautiously Bubbles crept towards the offending noise. It wasn't rhythmical or in any sort of pattern, which gave her a sense of relief. It wasn't a robot then. That meant that it was either a stray animal that somehow got in or maybe even a human…or a zombie. Bubbles shook her head. Now was _definitely_ not the time to let her mind become distracted.

The longer she walked the more the sound grew and soon she stood just outside a sporting goods store from where emanated from. As silently as possible, she slid her machete out of its sheath on her back and looked around the corner. There rooting through a pile of fallen racks filled with baseball paraphernalia, was a human figure.

She blinked a couple times in shock at the discovery. The figure let out a grunt as it detached a solid wooden bat from the pile. By the sound of its voice and the height, Bubbles was sure it was a man.

Her assumption was proven correct as the figure suddenly turned around to face her, the bat held in a defensive posture. Their eyes met and both of them froze. Bubbles couldn't help but take in his appearance as they stood there.

He was over a head taller than her diminutive five foot five height. Not too much older than herself, though it was hard to tell with his head hidden as it was. A dark, billed beanie covered his hair while a frayed bandana wrapped over his nose and hid his mouth. He wore a dirty, deep gray hoodie over a blue plaid button up shirt. Jeans and dirty runners completed the vagabond look he was sporting.

His outfit was stained and ripped in numerous places, but she did notice some of the holes that had been stitched closed. That meant this guy had supplies and knew how to use them. A needle and thread were hard objects to find unless you knew where to look. Not your typical refugee scavenging for supplies then. Who was he?

They stood in silence, weapons held out before them, and for a minute they just starred at each other. When he didn't make any movement towards her, Bubble took a deep breath and made the first move. She slowly lowered her weapon to her side.

She didn't think he was with the Simian Empire. Anyone who allied themselves with Mojo Jojo would have attacked by now. Of course, there was no way anyone allied with Mojo would be scavenging for a wooden bat in an old mall in the first place. But, just because you weren't part of Mojo's regime didn't mean you weren't an enemy. The question still remained, was this guy a friend or a foe?

Or a neutral party? That was a lot more probable than a friend out here.

The young man slowly followed her lead and let his bat sink towards the ground. So he wasn't an outright enemy, which was good to know. What was he doing in here though? This was the first person Bubbles had seen that wasn't a part of the Resistance in almost two months.

Did he live in the ruins of Old Townsville? Or was he passing through? Maybe he was a refugee from New Townsville? None of those options seemed likely, especially when the ruins of Old Townsville were crawling with Simian troops. Yet here he was, and he didn't look like he was going to strike up conversation anytime soon. It appeared the only way she was going to get answers was to ask some questions.

"Who are you?" She kept her voice soft as she spoke. There could be more people hiding in nearby stores and if they weren't already alerted to her presence she wanted to keep it that way.

The young man gave no response; he only looked at her with unreadable eyes. Bubbles twitched her shoulders nervously at his intense gaze. Not off to the greatest start. This could still work, maybe a different question?

"What are you doing here?" Her hand tightened around the handle of her machete and she flinched back as he waved the bat he held lightly. It took a second to realize he wasn't threatening her, he was gesturing towards the bat he held.

"You were scavenging for a bat?" He gave a light nod in response.

'Doesn't say much does he?' Bubbles thought to herself. 'At least he answered this time... kinda.'

"Are there more of you around here?" Again all she got was a blank stare. She let out a small sigh of frustration. Here she had finally met someone and they didn't talk. Awesome. How was she supposed to find out anything if he didn't speak a word to her?

At this point Bubbles was pretty certain that any further questions would be met with the same response: a deadpan look. Unfortunately, the only thing she could think to do was walk away. She didn't want to fight him; she already had plenty of enemies. Talking had proved pointless. There weren't many options left for her to exercise.

Bubbles slid her machete into its sheath and slowly walked backwards out of the store. He made no attempt to move or follow her, but his eyes stayed on her until she passed around the corner and out of sight. As she traced her steps back towards the clothing store she listened for any sounds of footsteps trailing after her. There were none.

She left out a silent sigh of relief as she made her way back to the clothing stores, but she couldn't help but begin doubting herself. Had she handled that correctly? Could she have done more to get a response out of him? Should she have beaten the answers out of him?

Bubbles gave her head a shake at the absurdity of that last thought. She needed to think like Blossom in type of situation, not Buttercup. There probably was a path she could have chosen that would have led to a different outcome; she just couldn't see it though. That was always her problem.

Bubbles let her doubts slide away as she came up to her destination. What was done was done and nothing could change it now. When she got back to base she'd tell Blossom and get her opinion on the matter. Her eldest sister always seemed to have a solution for everything. Maybe she would learn something useful for the next time she ran into a random stranger in a deserted city.

So caught up in her thoughts, Bubbles failed to recognize the distant clanking sounds that echoed through the mall. Nor did she notice the metal beam jutting out into her path as she walked onwards.

The beam stood just below her knees and Bubbles tripped right over it with a small squeak.

She landed hard on her hands and knees. Ouch, that would leave a bruise. The beam she ran into tumbled to the floor and the series of beams it was holding up gave way above her. Within seconds a whole section of roof was tumbling down around Bubbles and she barely had time to scramble away.

The dust swirled in the air as she raised her scarf to her nose and tried to waft it away. The sound of the commotion still rang through the deserted mall as the dust settled. As it traveled farther away Bubbles ears picked up the sound she had previously overlooked.

It was a familiar sound.

The distant clanking that she hadn't paid attention to before was now louder and closer. Her eyebrows scrunched down as she focused on the noise…and then her eyes opened wide. Fear shot through her heart as the clanking registered in her brain.

Collector!

Losing no time, Bubbles shoved herself up and began sprinting down the walkways, away from the terrible monstrosity that was coming. Forget about the scavenging mission now! There was no way that Collector hadn't detected that racket she had just made. It would come and investigate.

Oh this was bad, so terribly bad. Her feet pounded against the tiled floor as she booked it down the empty mall walkways. Tension began clenching her shoulders as she counting every passing second. She had to get out of here; she couldn't be caught by that thing! That would disastrous!

But she needed to stay calm too. 'Calm Bubbles, calm! You're doing good girl. Just need to run a bit faster, just a bit more.' She thought to herself as she ran.

She could do this! She could make it out, with the supplies she had gathered, and avoid that monstrosity that was inching ever closer to her position. No worries…

She was half way to the entrance when it happened.

The wall to her right burst apart like it was hit with a cannon ball and sent her tumbling to the ground. Coughing away the dust, Bubbles looked towards the hole and let out a panicked gasp.

A metal claw nearly the same size as her retracted through the broken wall. The dull sunlight shown on the pockmarked metal, highlighting the rust and what could have been dried blood. She wasn't sure, but she really didn't want a closer look to find out.

Scrambling to her feet, Bubbles resumed her sprint towards the mall entrance as three more claws began ripping at the opening. It wasn't long before the clanking resumed and came chasing after her, the ominous sound magnified in the cavernous space.

She threw a quick glance over her shoulder. Yep, if the large metal claws hadn't confirmed it earlier, the single large red eye glaring down at her did.

That was Collector alright.

Eighteen feet tall and cased in dull metal, it almost resembled a spider. Eight legs jutted out from the large cylindrical chassis which held that one glowing red eye.

Collectors were the deadliest weapon Mojo Jojo had in his arsenal. In the early years they had been mainly used to round up the populous and deposit them in processing centers, hence the name Collectors.

They were equipped with not only optical sight, but sonar and heat sensing vision as well. They were ideal for their job. None one had been able to hide from a Collector for long. Escaping one was like a badge of honor, few ever managed the feat. Now though, with all of the people captured, processed, and registered in most of the conquered world, the Collectors had been refitted.

They no longer collected people, they butchered them. Mojo's thinking apparently being, if they haven't been subdued yet, they never would be. Better to just eliminate the problem.

Not only did Collectors have their eight deadly claws that could crush a man, they were also equipped with a small arsenal that include, but was not limited to: twin flame throwers, a high powered laser, and a number of harpoons that measured between three and eight feet in length.

To be hit by one of the small harpoons would slow you down drastically. Being hit by their larger counterpart was certain death. The Collectors excelled at their new protocol. Bubbles had seen many people fall to the deadly machines and had been in a couple close calls herself. She knew from experience, Collectors rarely lost their prey.

Bubbles slid under a patchwork of beams and just narrowly avoided being skewered by a series of small javelins. She dodged around field of shivering metal that had just sprouted in front of her and bolted down the corridor as fast as she could.

Impossible as it was to believe, after a minute or two, she was actually creating some distance between the metal monstrosity and herself. Collectors might be good out in the open, but in smaller spaces it held the disadvantage. She could sneak through this maze easily enough, but the Collector would have to physically remove any objects that blocked its path.

Another glance over her shoulder showed the Collector carelessly swiping at offending beams and rubble that barred it from its prey. It didn't seem to mind the chucks of ceiling crumbling in its wake or the fact that it nearly buried itself a couple times. Collectors were single minded machines. Only the prey mattered.

The time it wasted on clearing a path let Bubbles increase the gap between them. A small burst of hope spread through her. She could do this, she could out run this Collector and make it outside. From there it was a just a matter of traveling the cramped alley ways until it lost track of her.

Piece of cake...right.

Bubbles bit her lip and turned an upcoming corner. A large thud assaulted her ears and the world tilted before her head smacked into the tiled floor.

What the hell? With a grunt, Bubbles sat up and looked at the obstruction in her path that knocked her down. In front of her, in the exact same position was the young man from before. His eyes no longer held that unreadable detached quality; instead they now mirrored the panic that was surely reflecting in her own.

He scrambled to his feet first and made to run off, but then he hesitated. Looking between her and the corner that hid the Collector from view, he let out a frustrated sigh. Bubbles was caught off guard as he reached down and yanked her to her feet. She latched onto his coat to catch her balance as the world righted itself.

Once she was on her feet he began pulling her away. Who was this guy? What was he doing? Why was he pulling her? Where was he taking her? Questions raced through her mind as she stumbled.

Wait, where **was** he taking her?!

"What you think you're doing?! Let me go!" She yelled as she tried to pull her arm from his grasp. She had no luck in that area though and his grip tightened.

"Shh! I know a way out." His soft voice caught her completely off guard. That was the total opposite of what she had been expecting. Him even talking was the total opposite of what she had been expecting actually.

Her struggling stopped as the sound of the Collector grew behind them. She threw a look over her shoulder. It had spotted the both of them and was catching up quickly due to their run in. There went her lead on the machine. That wouldn't do, time to get some of it back.

It's amazing how the threat of death motivates a person.

She picked up the pace and soon both she and the stranger were sprinting down the walkways at full speed, dodging obstacles and sometimes intentionally causing cave-ins, anything to slow the robot down. Their unspoken plan worked and the Collector fell further behind as they ran on.

Bubbles was starting to feel hope rise within her again when the Collector began emitting a high pitched sound. A signal for something. Bubbles struggled to remember the sound from before. Somewhere in her past she had heard it.

It was during a battle, somewhere in the chaos. Her eyes opened wide as it came to her. That was a call for re-enforcements. It was calling for more! They were trouble, big trouble. No amount of running could save them if there were others close by.

Bubbles nearly crashed into the man in front of her as he skidded to a stop and kicked open an emergency door situated in an unobtrusive alcove she had missed. He pulled her inside and together they descended a set of stairs into the darkness below.

As they reached the last step, a claw burst through the open doorway above them and lodged itself into the opposing wall. Small chunks of rubble rained down and they wasted no time running down the next flight of stairs. Deeper and deeper they descended, leaving the Collector behind.

The sounds of its screeching signal and the destruction it was causing gradually faded as they ran down flight after flight of stairs. This was brilliant! Even if more Collectors came, they would spend precious time digging away at the small space. She didn't quite know how far down they were, but it would be enough to hold off the Collectors and give them time to escape.

With the immediate danger gone, Bubbles was able to regain her equilibrium and calm down her chaotic thoughts. She turned her focus towards the stranger in front of her.

She was impressed; she had known he wasn't your everyday run of the mill scavenger, but he was handling their situation remarkably well. Better than she herself was. She was embarrassed to admit it but it was true.

Maybe meeting this young man had thrown her off balance but she was a soldier in the Resistance and a Powerpuff Girl to boot. Even a rookie wouldn't have run into a pile of rubble like she had, or panicked at the sight of a Collector.

Okay, maybe they would have done that… No definitely, everyone panicked when a Collector was nearby. Everyone, but this guy evidently. They slowed down to a light jog with the stranger still in the lead.

"Do you know where you're going?" She quietly asked him as they felt their way along the walls.

"This leads to an emergency exit." His soft spoken voice still shocked her. For someone who had such an intense gaze he had a rather sweet sounding voice. And he had spoken twice now. All it took was one of the most dangerous weapons in Mojo's army to get him to do it too.

Bubbles stifled the absurd giggle that tried to escape at the thought. That was the discombobulated part of her brain acting up again. Focus! She needed to be in control of her emotions if she wanted to get out of this alive. They weren't out in the clear yet.

An exit must have been up ahead if the lessening darkness was any indication. She nearly tripped on the stairs that led up to their salvation but luckily she caught the handrail in time. The stranger led the way up to the exit and as she gazed at his back she couldn't help but wonder about him.

He had a surprising amount of endurance, for sprinting almost nonstop for the past ten minutes he was barely even breathing heavily. Before she could ask him about that, light exploded in her vision and blinded her as he kicked open the door to the outside world. It took them precious seconds to blink back the stars and get their bearings.

The high pitched whining signal had multiplied during their underground foray and sounded like they were close by. Obviously the Collector wasn't by its lonesome anymore. Perfect.

If they caught onto their heat signatures….well, that would be bad.

"We have to get away from here _now_." Bubbles said anxiously. The man nodded at her and gestured down the street.

"I know a place we can hide." He took off running and Bubbles had no choice but to follow him.

Unfortunately, the little detour they had taken wasn't enough to throw off the Collector off their tail. Barely two minutes into their escape, it suddenly clambered out from a side street as they passed by and it wasn't alone.

Two more followed closely behind and together they began chasing the humans as they tried to escape. At the sight of three Collectors, Bubbles survival instinct took control and she threw it into overdrive. She sprinted past the stranger, grabbing his hand as she passed him. He surprisingly kept up with her as they booked it down the street.

Abruptly, a car flew over their heads and crashed into the ground in front of them. Dirt and pavement sprayed up from the impact and they lost precious seconds dodging around the obstacle. That was another thing about Collectors, they may be single minded but they were smart about how they attacked their prey.

As the two of them ran through the obstacle course like street, Bubbles glanced over her shoulder and frowned. Two Collectors were hot on their heels, picking up debris and hurling it at them with frightful ease. But where was the third one? If these robots were following a pack mentality then it meant that the third one had taken a cross street and would try to cut them off up ahead. Wonderful.

She sure hoped this guy knew what he was doing because things were not looking good for them. One Collector was bad enough, three were horrible. Bubbles couldn't recall a time in her mind when she had heard of someone escaping that many.

That was not a comforting thought.

A subdued concussion sounded behind her and Bubbles looked back just in time to see one of the larger harpoon shooting straight at her back. Instead of being smart and relying on her training to take her out of harm's way, Bubbles could only gape stupidly at projectile hurtling towards her.

Before it hit, a force slammed into her side and she was knocked out of the way, rolling across the ground.

Bubbles heard a pained yell and looked up to see the stranger on the ground a few feet in front of her, clutching at his arm with a pain grimace. He had just shoved her out of the way. She barely spared a moment of wonder at the thought and scrambled over towards him.

A brief glance at his wound showed the upper portion of his arm missing a good part of its flesh. Ouchie. Another concussion sounded from behind and Bubbles barely managed to yank the man away as another harpoon buried itself into the ground where they had been.

"Get up!" The blonde yelled at the stranger as she helped haul him up.

He staggered to his feet and together they half sprinted half stumbled down a nearby alleyway. The tight space would buy them a little time. Hopefully.

"Which way do we need to go?" She asked him while looking at the different branching paths. There were so many. Did he even know where they were anymore, because she was totally lost now. He took a few painful breaths before standing up and pointing.

"That way, come on." He grunted, running down the right most path.

They raced through the alleyway, but the Collectors were hot on their heels after having taken to the rooftops. This was not buying them as much time as she had hoped. The man ahead of her stumbled once more as they dodged around some over turned trash cans. Another rain of harpoons shot down at them from up above.

Bubbles grimaced as one came dangerously close to her leg. At this point she was sure the alleyway was helping them at all, but then again being out in the open would be just as deadly. This day was turning out to be one bad situation after another. When would it end?

Not with her turned into a pin cushion, lying dead on the street she hoped.

Up ahead the buildings came to an end and the two of them shot out from the alleyway into a broad, open street. Before them was large park and in the center of it stood a short, stunted mountain.

Bubbles stopped dead in her tracks as she gazed at the twisted formation of rock. The one time volcano had long past caved in and cooled down, but, against her will, Bubbles memory dredged up the day it had boiled and erupted. The day that volcano had become a monument to the final battle between the Powerpuff Girls and the supreme evil genius, Mojo Jojo.

* * *

**AN: **Alright! So here it is! My very first story on Fanfiction. I have been a rabid reader of fan fiction for a very long time but this is the first time I've ever submitted something. So please, if you liked what you read, drop a review down below. I would greatly appreciate any form of critiques or insights on my story. And if you did like it, then stay tuned! I will be updating 'Misconceptions' every Saturday! Thanks for reading, hope to see you in the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2 - The Catalyst

Chapter 2 – The Catalyst

:::10 Years earlier:::

Bubbles remembered that day clearly. It had been a bright and lovely Saturday morning. The kind of day you spent at the park with your family, laughing and playing in the summer sun. It was one of those days where you just couldn't stop a smile from sprouting on your face.

It was amazing how quickly that had changed. While other families were out enjoying themselves on the perfect day, the Utonium family was experiencing the exact opposite feeling.

Down in the lab, Bubbles watched anxiously from her seat across the room as her eldest sister glared at a thick sheet of iridium. A bright red beam shot out from her eyes and steadily ate away at the resistant metal until a few seconds later the beam fizzled and then completely died.

Blossom blinked a few times and tried again but the results were the same. In fact, it looked like the beam was being sustained less and less each time she tried. Blossom gave up on the sheet of metal and turned toward the Professor standing by her side.

"See Professor! It started doing that yesterday! At first it wouldn't short out, it kinda glitched a little but it never just stopped!" Blossom's voice balanced on the edge of a controlled calm, but a little hint of panic was starting to creep into it. "It's just like my ice breath. I can barely cool a glass of water now!"

"I can't do my sonic scream anymore either. What's going on Professor?" Bubbles tried not to whimper as she spoke, but even so tears began gathering in her eyes. The Professor stopped his examination of the iridium and looked at the girls.

"I don't know girls, but we'll find a way to fix this. I'm just going to need some time to sort it all out." He walked up to Bubbles and offered her a gentle, reassuring smile as he brushed her bangs back.

"And by the time you figure it out we'll have no powers left at all!" The toughest of the Powerpuffs finally entered the conversation in her normal abrasive manner. Buttercup was slumped down in a chair a few feet away from the group, glaring at everything she looked at.

"Buttercup!"

"What Blossom?! It's true, we all know it. I'm just saying it out loud!" She sat up as the redhead floated over and leaned towards her.

"I don't care if it's true or not! You can't say those things out loud; you're going to upset Bubbles." Blossom whispered sternly. True enough the blonde had moved and was clutching at their father's lab coat with tears shining in her eyes, threatening to spill over. Buttercup looked at their baby sister before she rolled her eyes and spoke in at a normal volume.

"Keeping it from her isn't going to help. Besides, everything upsets Bubbles. She's a baby!"

"I am not!" Bubbles released the Professor's coat and faced her sister. It wasn't fair that Buttercup always put her down like that! Sure she cried more than the two of them, but it wasn't like she wanted to. Stuff affected her more; she was a sweet and caring soul!

At least, that's what her last fortune cookie had said.

"Are too!" Buttercup fired back, brushing past Blossom to come face to face with her younger sister.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are TOO!"

"Am –"

"Girls!" The argument stopped immediately as both girls simultaneously broke their staring match to look at the Professor. He looked down at them with a stern face, holding his pipe in his hands.

"You both need to stop this arguing. What we all need to do right now is take a few breaths and calm down. Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to help anything."

Bubbles looked down at the ground in shame while Buttercup kicked at the floor. Being reprimanded by the Professor was always the worst, even worse than losing your favorite crayon or stuffed animal. It made Bubbles feel sick to her stomach whenever he gave them that disappointed look. She should be handling this better, like her sisters. Buttercup was right, now was not the time for crying.

"That's what I've been trying to say all along Professor, but SOME people don't listen." Blossom said as she floated beside him, crossing her arms haughtily over her chest.

She didn't look at anyone in particular when she spoke but everyone knew who she was referring to. Buttercup frowned heavily before sticking her tongue out at her older sister. Blossom scoffed at the childish display.

"Real mature Buttercup. Are you ever going to grow up?"

"News flash Blossom, I'm ten! And so are you, Ms. I think I'm better than everyone else!"

"I don't think that!"

"Yes you do! I can tell by that look on your face. You think everyone's beneath you!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do TOO"

"No, I don't-"

"GIRLS!" The Professor once again broke into the argument, louder than before. He gave the three of them a cross look.

"Sorry Professor." All the girls said in unison as they avoided looking their father in the eye. He sighed heavily before walking over to them and kneeling down.

Their father's warm hand on her shoulder made Bubbles feel calmer than she had been in what seemed like a long time. The uncertainty that had haunted them for the past two weeks faded away as the Professor gathered them in a hug.

"I know you're scared right now, to tell you the truth I'm scared too."

"You are?" Bubbles asked. He nodded at her.

"Yes I am. The fact is, all the tests I've been performing for the past couple of weeks are saying the same thing. For some unknown reason your powers are fading away." Bubbles let out a whimper while beside her Buttercup scrunched her face up into a fierce scowl. Blossom only lowered her eyes to the floor as the Professor confronted the hard truth.

"I don't know why or how this is happening, but I promise you I'll do everything I can think of to stop it. We'll get through this like we always have. Together." He offered the three of them a confident smile that they reluctantly returned.

The touching moment was broken as the familiar alarm of a certain phone went off.

"Great, as if things weren't bad enough." Buttercup grumbled as she glared at the offending noise.

Bubbles silently agreed with her. How could they deal with villains when they couldn't even trust their powers to work right? That thought didn't appear to concern Blossom as she flew up the stairs, shouting over her shoulder that she'd get it.

The Professor rose off his knees and gave his remaining daughters one last smile before turning back to his machines. Like it or not, the girls were vulnerable without their powers and if Bubbles knew the Professor, he would work tirelessly to find a cure to keep his daughters safe.

"Girls!" Blossom's shout rang down the stairs into the lab. Buttercup and Bubbles wasted no time flying up to the living room where their redheaded sister was waiting for them.

"There's trouble in Townsville!"

"When isn't there?" Blossom ignored the green Puff's sarcastic comment and continued speaking as if she hadn't spoken.

"Mojo Jojo's attacking the capitol building. We need to stop him right away!"

"Why would he be attacking the capitol building? There's nothing valuable in there." Buttercup asked, with an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"There are some pretty paintings!"

Buttercup rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day. "Those aren't worth anything Bubbles."

"Yes they are!" The blonde responded with a pout. Artists put their hearts and souls into their paintings. Their emotions! How could that not be worth anything?! Bubbles just didn't understand her sister's blunt view of the world sometimes.

Buttercup directed a glare at her, but before she could retort Blossom cut into the conversation.

"Would you two cut it out?! It doesn't matter what he's after, what matters is the fact that innocent people are in danger and as Powerpuff Girls it's our duty to save them. We need to get over there and stop Mojo!"

"How are we going to do that? Most of our powers are so weak that even Fuzzy Lumpkins could kick our butt. I hate to admit it, but I'm even nervous about flying anymore!"

Blossom visibly restrained a frustrated sigh at her sister's pessimistic attitude. Bubbles had to admit, the tension between the two had risen to new levels when their powers started shorting out. They had clashed occasionally before, but it seemed like all they did now was argue. Well, it was mostly Buttercup starting the arguments and if Bubbles was honest with herself, she had been in quite a few with the green Puff as well.

Maybe that was good thing though. It was probably the easiest and most non-destructive way for Buttercup to vent her pent up emotions. Her older sister certainly didn't cry like she did, after all, crying was for sissies and babies.

"Guys." Bubbles focused on Blossom as she spoke up. "I don't know how we're going to stop him, but we have to! We're the Powerpuff Girls and it's our duty to protect Townsville no matter what! As long as we have each other's backs we'll be alright."

"Blossom's right Buttercup." Bubbles said quietly. Even if they were losing their powers, they were still the Powerpuff Girls and they'd figure something out. If they didn't help Townsville, who would?

Looking between her two sisters, Buttercup let out a heavy sigh. "I know alright! I don't want to abandon Townsville or anything. I'm just asking how we're going to fight when we can barely do anything."

"We still have some of our powers, they're not all gone." Bubbles said hopefully. Their more advanced powers might have been gone but they still had super strength and speed…well, they still did a couple hours ago when they tested it. That could change at any time.

"It's only a matter of time at this rate." Buttercup mumbled, unconsciously echoing her sister's thoughts while kicking at the carpet.

Blossom didn't try to stop her sigh this time. She seemed to be reaching the boiling point with the green Puff's attitude.

"Bubbles is right Buttercup, we still have some of our powers and that's just going to have to do for right now. We'll figure something out!" The brunette didn't cheer up at the platitude; instead she frowned heavily towards the carpet.

Bubbles nibbled at her lip, not entirely reassured by her sister's vague conviction. Blossom usually had a plan going into every battle, hearing her so uncertain wasn't exactly filling Bubbles with over flowing confidence at the moment. A sentiment Buttercup obviously shared. Blossom took a deep breath.

"Oh come on! We're the Powerpuff Girls! We've beaten everything that has been thrown at us. We've even been turned in to puppies for goodness sakes, but we got through that! It's like the Professor says, if we stick together and act as a team we'll always find a way to win in the end. Right?" She ended her small speech by placing her hand out in between the three of them.

Bubbles glanced from it towards Buttercup before stiffening up her resolve. She wanted to act more like her sisters and this was her chance.

"Right!" She shouted as she placed her hand on top of Blossom's. The redhead offered her a relieved smile before they both looked towards Buttercup. She must have felt their eyes and come to a decision because after a minute she looked up from the ground with a smirk.

"Right." She added her hand to the pile and they smiled at each other. No matter what they faced, they would go through it together. Bubbles smile grew into an infectious grin that spread to the other two.

"Then let's go save Townsville Girls!" Blossom commanded as she broke the circle and flew out the door, the other two followed right behind her.

From around the corner the Professor watched them fly off with a cluster of mixed emotions. He was proud that they had the resolve to do their duty, but he was also concerned about the villain they faced.

Mojo Jojo was their greatest nemesis and as hard as it was to admit, there had been a few close calls in the past. How would his girls fare against him now without all their powers? The Professor chewed on his pipe. He had a bad feeling about this.

By the time the girls arrived at the capitol building it was pure chaos. Fires roared through out the grounds, clouding the sky with arid smoke. The area was empty of citizens except for the cries for help the girls could hear from inside the building. And in the middle of the mayhem was the source of it all.

Mojo Jojo stood poised on the steps at the entrance of the building, laughing maniacally as he fired his laser gun inside. The structure shuddered as chunks of it were blown away and sent smashing into the floor. The helpless screams increased and Bubbles knew they had to act quickly to keep the building from collapsing and crushing those inside.

"Yes! Yes, run for your pathetic lives humans! Hide and cower! For none can stand before my power. Today is the day that I, Mojo Jojo, achieve my ultimate victory! Tomorrow a new day will dawn. A day where you will bow before a new leader, an emperor! ME!" The evil genius broke out into another round of laughter as he finished his short speech.

He had yet to notice the arrival of the girls. Time to change that. Blossom gave both of her sisters a calculating look.

"The classic entry?" She whispered. Both of them nodded in agreement and they flew down at top speed.

"Not so fast!"

"Mojo"

"Jojo!"

The monkey's laughter was cut off as a three hued rainbow slammed into the ground a few feet behind him. As the dust cleared he smirked at the glare all three sisters were shooting at him. He was still as confident as ever. You would think after all the defeats he had suffered at their hands he would have learned his lesson by now. Bubbles guessed he was a slow learner, but that was okay because school was back in session.

Blossom stepped up, brimming with confidence and quirked an eyebrow at Mojo. She casually crossed her arms over her chest before addressing him. "I don't know what you hope to accomplish by attacking the capitol building Mojo, but you know it's not going to work."

"Yeah! So why don't you run back to your little jail cell and save us the trouble of kicking your butt. Again!" Buttercup added with a cocky smile. She threw couple of punches in the air for good measure.

Mojo chuckled lightly at their threats, which was predictable. He always started out believing he could win, but the end result was always the same. It had been the same for the last five years and it would be the same for the next five years as far as Bubbles was concerned. They would win even without their powers. She stepped up beside her sisters and glared at the monkey.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my arch nemesis, the Powerpuff Girls." He causally spun his laser around his finger. A little too casually.

"Or should I say , the PowerLESS Girls!" The smirk on his face grew into a full out grin as the girls struggled to keep a straight face. Bubbles couldn't contain her shock.

"How'd you-" Blossom slapped a hand over her mouth, cutting her off from finishing her sentence. It was just as damning though and a little too late.

Mojo continued to grin at them, beady black eyes gleaming eerily in the firelight. How had he known about their powers? Was it a bluff, just a good guess? Or… could he be behind it? Blossom must have had the same thought because she was throwing him her best glare. Then, all the sudden, she casually shrugged at him and re-crossed her arms.

"I don't know what you're going on about Mojo, but if you want to see how powerless we are then bring it on. It'll just end the same way as all the other times." Her calm and collected face could have fooled anyone, but Bubbles could see the nervous way her eyes darted to and fro. A light sheen of sweat had broken out on her forehead, but that could have been from the fires close by. Bubbles waited with baited breath. Would Mojo call their bluff?

"Hahaha!" Mojo slid his gun into its holster at his side. "That is where you are wrong leader girl Blossom. This time, the outcome of this fight will be different. There will be a new result, a change in the status quo! This time I, Mojo Jojo, will reign victorious and there will be nothing you can do to stop me! I shall rule over Townsville and then…the world! Bwuahahaha!"

He was calling it then, the girls exchanged nervous looks. Blossom swallowed before putting on her game face. Bubbles and Buttercup followed her example and pushed back their nervousness to focus.

"Remember, together." Blossom whispered to them before addressing the evil monkey still laughing in front of them.

"We'll see about that Mojo! Girls! Attack!" They flew at him at light speed, streaks of their respective colors trailing in their wake.

The three hit Mojo hard with a series of punches and kicks that sent him flying into the capitol building, making it shake even more. Maybe they should have aimed away from it? Bubbles hoped it kept its structural integrity long enough for the people still inside to get out.

Buttercup settled down on the ground and dusted off her hands. A victorious grin lit up her face. "How's that for powerless?" She chuckled a tad cruelly as the monkey struggled to his feet, coughing loudly.

"Give it up Mojo, while you're behind."

"Yeah!"

Buttercup rolled her eyes before tossing Bubbles an annoyed glance. "Do you have to do that?"

Bubbles blinked curiously at her. "Do what?"

"You always have to add something after everything Blossom and I say. Can't you think up something to say on your own?"

"You take all the cool things to say though!" Bubbles said with a pout. Buttercup once again rolled her eyes. Well it was true!

"If you used your brain every once-"

"Girls!" Bubbles paused before she could express her indignation and looked towards Blossom, who was glaring at the two of them with a stern look.

"In case you forgot girls, we're kinda in the middle of something here. Save the argument for after we take Mojo down." Buttercup waved off her serious tone and threw a thumb over her shoulder at Mojo, who was still hunched over.

"Oh come on Blossom. We just royally smacked him down. It wasn't hard at all. I bet I could beat him with one arm tied behind my back."

Blossom let loose a long suffering sigh at her sister's bravado. "You can gloat and argue all you want later, but for now could we finish this fight please?" The pleading in her tone made Bubbles feel a little guilty. She gave her older sister her best contrite look and nodded at her request. Buttercup sighed and nodded too.

"Fine, fine. Geez." As one, the three of them turned back to Mojo. He had managed to stand up fully and was holding some kind of remote in his gloved paws. Instead of a look of panic at his emanate defeat; he leered at them with an evil grin. Maybe they had hit his head a little too hard?

"You girls have made a grave mistake! Your bickering and in fighting has given me the time I need to recover and initiate my failsafe plan! A backup plan with which I shall destroy you! I, Mojo Jojo, the greatest evil genius in the world, have thought ahead and made this plan in the event that your powers were operational. It is with this plan that I will finally-"

"Get on with it already! Or is your plan to bore us to death? Geez!" Buttercup interrupted with an exasperated yell.

Mojo froze mid-sentence and blinked in shock before recovering his composure. The glare he sent the three of them might have been a tad bit frightening if Bubbles hadn't detected the subtle pout he was trying to hide. It made him look like a little kid that was just told he couldn't get a new toy. A thought that made Bubbles giggle. The others looked at her in confusion as she brought a hand to her mouth in an effort to stifle her laughter.

A small tick had developed on Mojo's face as he slowly turned a unique shade of purplish green. As Bubbles managed to get her giggles under control, Mojo burst.

"You will cease your mocking immediately!" With that he pushed down on a single red button on his remote. The mood quickly changed as all three girls crouched into a defensive stance and looked around warily.

Seconds passed. Nothing happened.

Seconds turned into a minute and still nothing happened.

Bubbles straightened up and looked at her sisters. Blossom was still looking around in confusion while Buttercup sent her a shrug. Looking back to Mojo, he was repeatedly pressing down on the button with a vicious glare.

"What is wrong with this device?! Curses! Work, work, WORK!" Gnashing his teeth, he pressed down forcefully one more time. A few seconds later the ground began to silently rumble. It was more of a barely perceptible rumble than any actual sound. That changed as time passed, soon the near silence grew into an audible roar and the ground heaved.

Trying to keep her balance, Bubbles looked at her sisters in confusion. Blossom returned the look with a brow creased in worry as she took to the air. Bubbles and Buttercup followed suit. This was something new, was this Mojo's big plan? Cause a giant earthquake? Not super original but effective she supposed.

The rumbling continued to crescendo until it reached a breaking point and ended in a loud boom! The ground quit its erratic movements and Bubbles picked up a new sound. It was like a small roar, with small pops interspersed in it. She looked over her shoulder towards the sound and let out terrified gasp.

"Blossom! Buttercup! Look!" Her sisters glanced to where she was pointing and let out their own gasps of shock.

A few miles behind them, the volcano that Mojo used as his lair was now a fountain launching molten fire into the atmosphere. Magma oozed down the sides of the small mountain and upon contact with the grass, burst into sweeping blazes. Fire rained down through the air and hit trees, lighting them up like torches.

In maybe two minutes the picturesque park that was once one of Townsville's favorite tourist attractions was now a burning lake of fire. Smoke clouded the air and the heat began warping the light poles at the edges of the park as the lava flowed outward. Her and Blossom were still gaping at the wanton destruction before them as Buttercup looked away and turned towards the evil genius grinning in delight behind them.

"Wait….your backup plan was to blow up your own lair?" She asked him incredulously.

"Hahaha! Yes! Who needs a lab when tomorrow I shall have this entire city as my own? And then…the world! Bwuahahahaha!"

Buttercup turned away from him and looked back at her sisters slightly horrified. She twirled a finger around her temple while crossing her eyes. Blossom nodded grimly as she watched the monkey continue to laugh insanely to himself.

It seemed after all these years Mojo Jojo had finally lost it. While the two watched the monkey in concern, Bubbles sent him her most threatening glare.

He had gone too far this time. He could throw her and her sisters in to buildings all day long, or steal as much money and jewelry he wanted; but this….this was horrible! And he was still laughing! That was the final straw! Bubbles couldn't contain herself any longer!

"I can't believe you! You just destroyed all those pretty flowers! And the grass and trees! And what about all the helpless little animals you've hurt!? Don't you care at all?! You…you big MEANIE!"

Her sisters looked cautiously between her and Mojo. They knew how she got when she was pushed over the edge, and right now Bubbles was madder than she had ever been. Even madder than when her sisters babied her or made fun of her glasses. You could do anything you wanted to her, but bring in small animals and it was on!

Her yelling caused Mojo to cease his crazed laughter and look at her disgust.

"Flowers? Trees? Animals?! Fool! Those things are of no importance to the new world emperor!" He screeched.

"You're not there yet Mojo! You have to get through us first!" Blossom yelled back as she flew up next to her furious sister. Buttercup flew to Bubbles other side and surprisingly said nothing, choosing to glare at him instead.

A malevolently coy look came over Mojo's face as he glanced up, pondering over the Powerpuff's words. "Go through you first? Hmmm, I think I would rather crush you instead!" He finished with an evil grin.

As if on cue, the sky visibly darkened. Bubbles paid it no mind still glaring a hole through Mojo's skull, but Buttercup sent a questioning look towards Blossom. She in turn, looked up and let out a strangled gasp. In a split second she shoved her sisters and they barely managed to avoid being smashed by a giant metal fist as it slammed in to the ground below them. Rocks and dust flew into the air as the hand crushed the street easily before rising again, leaving a large crater in its wake.

Blossom struggled to her hands and knees before she noticed Buttercup's hand stretched out to her. She grabbed it and the brunette hauled her to her feet. Bubbles joined them a moment later trying to clear her throat and wave away the debris floating in the air.

"Is everyone okay?" Blossom asked giving them a quick glance to look for obvious injuries. Both of her sisters nodded.

"Yeah, but what the crap was that thing?" Buttercup asked as she tried to peer up through the smoke and dust.

"Language Buttercup." Blossom absently mumbled as she did the same. Then a gleam caught her eye.

"There!" The three of them flew up towards where she pointed and broke through the cloud cover.

Before them stood a robot of epic portions, it was far bigger than anything they had seen from Mojo before. It rivaled the size of the some of the giant monsters they had faced. Sunlight gleamed off the polished skeletal face as glowing red eyes glared out at them emotionlessly. Thick fists hung from long blocky arms and nearly touched its feet. The compact body was kept airborne by two large jets protruding from its back. The gorilla inspired mech was a menacing sight on a good day, right now with the fire light reflecting hellishly on is metallic surface, it was terrifying.

How were they supposed to beat that without their most advanced powers? Bubbles nervously bit her lip and glanced towards Blossom. But the redhead wasn't focused on the robot; instead she was glaring at the tiny monkey floating next to its skull on a jet pack.

"This! Is my ultimate creation of destruction! This is your doom Powerpuff Girls! Bwuahahaha!" Mojo's laughter faded as he flew into its mouth and assumingly sealed himself in the cockpit.

"He laughs way too much." Bubbles couldn't help nodding her agreement along with Blossom at Buttercup's statement. He really did.

"What do you think he means, ultimate tool of destruction?" Buttercup shrugged at Blossom's question.

"Looks just like all his other robots to me."

"I don't know Buttercup. That one seems different." Blossom and Buttercup glanced at their blonde sister with concerned expressions. "I've got a really bad feeling about this." Bubbles said shrinking back a bit.

It was kind of like a sixth sense. Sometimes she got bad feelings about things and they usually turned out right. This robot was definitely giving off bad vibes. She really didn't want to fight this thing. Buttercup frowned at her.

"Well we can't run away from it. Mojo could destroy the whole city with that thing! Come on Bubbles, man up! Let's turn this robot into scrap metal!" With that, she took to the air and headed straight at the robot's chest.

"Buttercup! Wait- Augh! Come on Bubbles!" Blossom took off at top speed trying to catch up with her brash sister. Why couldn't they have come up with a plan first? Bubbles swallowed nervously before following.

None of them noticed the dusty, dull trail of color they left behind.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Day the Rainbow Died

Chapter 3 – The Day the Rainbow Died

With a sonic boom Buttercup slammed into the robot as hard as she could.

It didn't even budge.

Rebounding off its plated chest, she circled around and threw a kick at its back. Without pause she continued her assault, raining down blows on the metal monstrosity. After a series of hits she flew back and surveyed her handy work.

Buttercup's eyes opened wide in astonishment as she found the robot in practically mint condition. The only signs of her brutal attacks were a couple of good sized dents marring the metal plating. This was far from the punishing results she had been aiming for. She growled in frustration and looked down at her clenched fists. Now their super strength was disappearing too?! Wonderful!

"Buttercup! Look out!" The brunette raised her eyes from her hands in time to see a huge metal fist flying straight at her. Instinctually she cut off her flying powers and dropped under the blow an instant before it hit her. The force of the punch caused her hair to whip around violently as it passed overhead. That was way too close for comfort.

Flying back up, she saw her two sisters buzzing around the robot trying to distract its attention from her; Bubbles was trying to get in close and use her heat vision to melt the joints. An immobile appendage would have been a big help. She got the same result as her sister had earlier unfortunately.

A small portion of the joint was only starting to turn red hot when the beams from her eyes fizzled and died. She flew in closer and tried again. Before the blonde could get very far, she was suddenly traveling at high speeds away from her enemy. It was a split second before she slammed into a glass encased building that she realized she had been hit.

The windows shattered as she broke through the outer wall and tumbled through the office space on the other side. Bubbles hit the floor hard as the shower of glass rained down around her. When the glass finally settled, she cautiously lifted her head off the floor. It looked like a cannon ball had been shot through the window.

A trench was driven through the floor, office furniture was toppled over and laying in various pieces around the room, and the ground now functioned as one large pincushion. Glass shards ranging from chair length to itty bitty had pierced everything within a 30 foot area. She pushed herself up in the middle of it all and gingerly brushed the glass from her clothes.

"Ouch!" She let out an involuntary yelp and turned her hand around to examine it. A jagged line of puffy red skin was drawn across her palm.

Her brows furrowed in concern as she noticed the other marks covering her arms and legs. This wasn't right. She had been thrown into and through tons of buildings before. Nothing had marked her then! She was usually only a little sore from the impact, but now the pain in her back was finally registering in her brain and it hurt. A lot.

Bubbles winced and floated a couple inches off the floor. This was not a good sign. Partial Invulnerability was one of their best defenses. The girls could take blows that would kill most people and get right back to fighting. It was an essential power to have when you were fighting crime, especially against the likes of Mojo Jojo. This was so not the best time for it to start fading away. She had to tell her sisters about this.

Bubbles pushed away the pain and flew out of the building to rejoin the fight. It looked like her bad feeling was a legitimate concern after all. She hated it when that happened.

As Bubbles got back to the battlefield she saw that the participants had not been idle. Huge craters littered the ground; slabs of asphalt were shooting up at odd angles making the roads totally impassable.

The capitol building was missing its domed top and she could see cracks lacing through all the walls. The fires from the park had somehow jumped the street and were attacking the short stacked buildings on its border. In the middle of the chaos were her sisters and Mojo Jojo inside his mechanized suit of armor.

Flight and stupendous strength weren't its only features. From a large cavity on its chest the robot shot out lasers at least two car lengths in diameter. Where ever it hit, nothing but char remained. Bubbles watched in horror as Blossom moved a bit too slowly and was clipped by one of those lasers.

She hit the ground with a solid thump and was lost from the blonde's sight by a cloud of debris and dust rising up from the impact. Without a moment to lose Bubbles made a beeline for her sister. Blossom was still lying prone when Bubbles reached her, fearing the worst.

"Blossom? Blossom are you alright?!" The edge of hysteria in her voice brought a grunt from the redhead. Slowly she shoved herself off the ground and onto her knees. Light burns covered her entire left arm from wrist to shoulder and her charred, torn dress was still smoking from the impact.

Bubbles had never been as thankful for the Professor as she had at that moment. Making a resistant fiber mesh that could withstand a blast from their eye beams had been one of his best inventions to date. It had definitely saved Blossom from the brunt of that laser blast. Blossom gripped her burnt arm and winced in pain, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"I'll be fine Bubbles." She let out a hiss of pain as the blonde helped her to her feet. "That hurt a lot more than it should have." She concluded when she got her balance.

"I know, look at my arms and legs." Bubbles held out her arm for Blossom to inspect before finishing. "I think our invulnerability is starting to go."

Blossom looked at the marks and began gnawing on her lower lip. "I think you may be right." She let out an aggravated sigh. "It couldn't have picked a worse time could it?"

The dust finally subsided and the two of them got a clear view of Buttercup being back handed into the street only a few yards from their position.

"Buttercup!" The two shouted in unison before zooming over to their fallen sister.

"That hurt like hell." Buttercup wheezed as she clutched her stomach.

"Language Buttercup." Blossom helped the girl to her feet. The brunette wasn't seriously injured as she was still capable of rolling her eyes at her older sister.

"Are you seriously going to go on about that no-Look out!" The three shot apart in time to miss a rocket hitting the ground they had occupied a split second ago.

"He's not letting up at all is he?" Buttercup said as she regrouped with her sisters behind an overturned semi-truck.

"And he can seriously injure us too. This is not looking good girls. Any one got any ideas?" Blossom asked.

"You're the smart one leader girl, that's your department."

Blossom let out a frustrated sigh and bit down on her lip as she tried to come up with something. "If only we still had our powers! The Razzle Dazzle would be really helpful right now!"

"I still think it should be called Sassafras."

"Bubbles! Now is not the time."

"…Sorry…" Bubbles looked apologetically at the ground to avoid the glares her sisters were shooting at her.

Blossom briefly shook her head before getting back to the problem at hand. "Okay, our eye lasers aren't working, our energy blasts probably aren't either, my ice breath isn't working, and Bubbles your sonic scream's gone. What does that leave us?"

"Don't forget our super strength could barely hurt a kitten right now." Buttercup grumbled as she peeked out around their hiding place. Mojo was destroying anything in his reach as he searched for the girls. She winced as a ten story building crumbled into the street. There was going to be a lot of clean up after this, not to mention how much it would all cost.

Blossom let out a frustrated growl and buried her head into her hands. Buttercup turned away from Mojo and looked at her leader in concern. Bubbles cautiously placed a hand on her older sister's shoulder.

"It's alright Blossom, I'm sure you'll think of something."

"That's just it!" Bubbles jumped back as Blossom whipped her face up. "I can't think of a single thing! My mind's completely blank! Anything plan I come up with relies on our powers! Without them, we…we…" She let out a miserable sigh and banged her head against the trailer behind her. There was a moment of stunned silence before Blossom finished her sentence. "We can't win." She whispered.

The defeat clouding her voice nearly broke Bubbles heart. Try as she might, Bubbles couldn't think of any silver lining or bright spot in their situation. If Blossom admitted they couldn't win, what hope did they have?

For the first time in her life, Bubbles felt utterly useless. A few well-placed words wouldn't fix their situation. It wouldn't miraculously get them their powers back. It seemed like nothing would turn this around. They were defeated.

The only thing she could do was sit down solemnly next to her sister and wrap her arms around her knees. It was a struggle to keep the tears at bay as despair set in. Bubbles buried her head into her arms as her vision began to blur.

Buttercup snapped out of her shock at Blossom's admission to defeat. She lightly kicked at the ground before taking a seat on Blossom's other side, opposite of Bubbles.

"Sooo….what do we do? ….Give up?" She asked in a completely serious voice. There really was no hope if Buttercup was even suggesting surrender. Blossom didn't answer, instead laser blasts and maniacal laughter filled the air around them; as if to punctuate their failure.

A faint high pitch roar was barely discernible in the distance, screams of the citizens of Townsville no doubt. Normally, Bubbles could hear those screams from miles away, but now…even their supersonic hearing was gone.

It was sad, through the heat of the battle she hadn't noticed just how much she had relied on her powers. They had always been a part of her; there was no reason to think what it might be like to live without them. It was like the world had become dull, she felt beyond impaired. This had all gone so wrong so quickly! Why hadn't they finished Mojo off at the beginning instead of dragging out the fight? Why had they given him time to call that monstrosity?

Because they had been cocky. Simple as that.

It was hard to admit to herself, but Bubbles knew it was true. They knew their powers were steadily draining away, but at the beginning of the fight it was completely wiped from their minds. The familiar routine of banter and fighting made them forgot they were playing with fire. It was supposed to be the same old Mojo and the same old fight with the same old ending. Only this time, the ending had changed on them. Now it was too late.

Their powers were practically gone and Mojo was destroying the city. It was all his fault! Mojo was behind them losing their powers somehow and he had known the perfect time to attack. Because of him, Townsville was in trouble and no one could save the day this time.

The tears Bubbles tried to keep back finally spilled over and raced down her cheeks, cutting tracks through the dirt that had settled there.

"We failed." She whimpered.

"Maybe….but we're not going down without a fight." The steel in Blossom's voice was surprising. Bubbles swiped at her tears and looked at her older sister with concern.

"We won't win this fight, I know that, but the least we can do is give the people of Townsville a chance to evacuate. They have to know by now that we….that the Powerpuff Girls….have lost." She finished her small speech in a somber tone, but the determination in her eyes must have inspired Buttercup because she spoke up with vigor as soon as Blossom stopped.

"Then let's give Mojo a fight he'll never forget!" Buttercup gave her sisters a feral grin as they looked at her. "Surrendering ain't my style, but a fight to the end…That I can do!" She threw a hand before them, palm facing downward.

Blossom set a hand on top of it and gave Buttercup a small knowing smile. "It'll make a good story."

"Psh, you kidding? This will be a legendary!" The brunette smirked. Something passed between their eyes and as one they turned to the only one who hadn't set her hand down yet.

"You in Bubbles?"

This was crazy! Bubbles couldn't believe that her two rational, older sisters were asking her to join their suicide mission as if it was a trip to the petting zoo! They knew they couldn't win!

If they retreated maybe the Professor might be able to get their powers back. Or they could at least hide in the city until Mojo got bored and stopped. Maybe another villain would rise up and try to stop him; it was their city too after all. Or, or something! Anything had to be better than this!

Even as Bubbles thought about these things she could feel her resolve breaking under the steady gazes of her sisters. They were right. They needed to give their all to protect the citizens of Townsville, even if all that meant was giving them time to run.

It was the right thing to do. Bubbles let out a quiet sigh as she made peace with her decision. They were heroes and they fought for more than themselves. It was all for the citizens of Townsville. They were running straight into death's door, but it was the best they could do. With that, she put on her most brilliant smile and slapped a hand down on the pile.

"I'm in."

The three sisters took a long moment to look at each other, soaking in this last moment. Fighting for Townsville and its citizens was all good, but it was fighting for each other that pushed the girls more than anything else. The three of them stood in perfect unity, completely at peace with what they were about to do. The only thing left was to do it.

"Powerpuff Girls on three." Blossom finally broke the moment in a whisper. "One…Two…Three."

"POWERPUFF GIRLS!" With a triumphant shout the three broke apart and dashed away from each other.

"Hey you stupid monkey! Looking for me?" Buttercup brazenly shouted out as she hovered by his robots foot. "Over here! You must be getting old Mojo! I know grandmas that can see better than you!" The robot lifted up its foot to crush the brunette but paused as a disjointed red streak rammed into its back.

"No, over here you dense primate! I'm the one you want!" Blossom started darting around as Mojo swiped at her with the robot's hands. There were plenty of close calls, but Blossom dodged all of them.

Barely, but it still counted as a dodge.

Bubbles figured it was time to throw herself back into the fight and launched a weak energy blast at the robots skull. It burst harmlessly against the metal but it did succeed in dragging Mojo's attention away from Blossom, giving her time to escape.

A metallic hand shot out at Bubbles but before she could fly out of the way, her flight power suddenly took a mind of its own and stopped working all together. A scream of terror ripped itself out of her throat as she plummeted down to the ground below.

"Bubbles!" The twin cries of her sisters only faintly registered in her brain as Bubbles watched the ground rapidly grow bigger. Never had it seemed so menacing. She screwed shut her eyes and prayed that the landing wouldn't hurt too badly.

Meters before impact, she stopped falling as suddenly as she started. Blue energy burst from her feet and sent her shooting up a couple meters before cutting out again. Like an engine struggling to start, Bubbles flight powers cut in and out until finally she stumbled to the ground and cut them off herself. A sigh of relief burst from her lungs after setting her feet firmly down.

"Look out!"

Instinctually she threw herself to the side and dove out of the way, barely missing a robotic fist that collided inches behind her. Without another thought Bubbles began sprinting as fast as she could, which was a lot slower than she remembered, away from the machine.

'Flight out. Super speed pretty much gone. Super strength nada. No offensive powers what so ever. What am I going to do?!' Panic pushed Bubbles onward through the war torn streets, dodging the laser beams and rockets shot at her.

Bubbles knew she wouldn't last long against this onslaught; thankfully her sisters came to her rescue and began throwing everything they had left at Mojo.

It wasn't a whole lot unfortunately.

Blossom seemed to be suffering from the same problem as Bubbles, she dropped to the ground as her flight powers started cutting out. Instead of trying to push the issue, Blossom wisely kept to the ground at the first sign of trouble with her flight. Buttercup was still up in the air but if the fragmented dull green streak left behind was any indication it wouldn't be long before she was grounded too.

They needed to distract Mojo before that happened, or Buttercup would be a sitting duck. Crouching behind an uprooted tree, Bubbles tried to charge an energy ball in her hand. It let out one bright flare before exploding into glowing dust and swirling into the air.

'What do I do?!' She desperately tried again to form something, anything! But nothing happened, not even a mote of energy float around her hand. Her powers were well and truly gone.

Buttercup's pained yell made Bubbles abandon her attempts and look up over the tree. A hundred yards away, Buttercup was held in the clutches of Mojo's humongous robot. An evil laugh filled the air and covered up her sister's screams as he tried to squeeze the life out of her.

Bubbles frantically looked around for anything to help her. Literally anything would work at this point! She found a couple of decent sized rocks by the roots of the tree and mentally shrugged. They wouldn't do any damage but it was a distraction. She picked up one and hurled it with all her might towards Mojo.

It was surprising to see the rock sail the entire way and hit the robot in one of its knees. A second later another rock was thrown at the robot and then another.

A slew of rocks pelted the monstrosity as Blossom joined Bubbles assault from across the plaza. While the attack was about as lethal as a swarm of gnats it had the desired effect of distracting Mojo and cutting off his stupid laughter. The robot turned its head from its captive and searched for the source of this new annoyance. It was up to Buttercup to escape now.

Bubbles collected a couple of rocks before darting to a new hiding place. One hit of that laser and she was toast. There was a chance her invulnerability might still be operational but she wasn't betting Octi on that anytime soon. She wouldn't even bet the random dollar she found the other day on those odds.

Buttercup let out another pained scream causing Bubbles to wince. She was doing the best she could! There was nothing left! This was what she was reduced too, throwing rocks at a giant robot in hopes of distracting it. It was as pitiful as it was sad.

Another scream.

Bubbles choked back a sob as she slid behind a discarded car. This was it, Buttercup was doomed…..and she got to sit and listen to it.

WHAM! The ground shuddered and the sound of crunching metal assaulted her ears. Bubbles gripped onto the car she was hiding behind and wait for the ground to stop its violent movement. When it settled, she cautiously poked her head up. What was going on?

Dust filled the air, but through it she could barely make out the silhouette of a massive figure on the ground. Had Buttercup used the last of her strength to escape? Did she even have that kind of reserve left?

The dust began lifting and it was then that Bubbles noticed another massive figure standing over the fallen one. Sunlight filtered through the fog and glinted off the red metallic paint. Glowing yellow eyes pierced through and a shiver ran up Bubbles spine as she recognized her sister's savior.

The DYNAMO.

A hand on her shoulder nearly caused Bubbles to let out a shriek, she would have but another hand covered her mouth before she had the chance. Looking back she found both of her sisters, battered and bruised, right behind her.

"Do you see that?! What's that doing here?!" Bubbles asked in a panicked voice.

"My guess is that the Professor sent it over." Blossom replied as she gazed at the menacing robot.

"In the nick of time too, another couple seconds and I'd be a pancake." Buttercup winced and clutched at her side. No doubt she had a few broken ribs thanks to her loss of invulnerability. That was going to take some getting used to.

"What should we do Blossom? The last time DYNAMO was out she nearly flattened the entire city." Bubbles asked as she offered a shoulder to Buttercup, which she grudgingly accepted.

"I know, I can't even begin to imagine the damage the two of them could cause." Blossom nodded towards the two robots. Mojo's mech had risen from the sneak attack and was currently engaging DYNAMO in a contest of strength, in which they seemed to be equally matched.

"How are we going to stop them? It's not like we can just fly up to DYNAMO's cockpit and take over." Buttercup asked he redhead.

"I don't know, we're going to ha-"A beeping noise interrupted Blossom. She blinked a few times before looking at the miraculously functional watch on her wrist. The beeping noise sounded again and the watch face lit up. Blossom pressed a button and the watch face was replaced with the figure of Professor Utonium.

"Blossom! You're alive! Are the other girls safe?!" Even though the transmission was garbled slightly, the worry in his voice was easy to pick out.

"Yes Professor, they're right here next to me." Blossom angled the watch to show their father her two sisters. On the other line, the Professor heaved a sigh of relief.

"Good, I thought I might have been too late."

"So you did send DYNAMO out." The guilt on his face answered her question loud and clear. That was one thing that would never change about the Professor; he was terrible at hiding his emotions. And he had the worst hand caught in the cookie jar expression ever. There wasn't anything he could get away with. Blossom sent him a frown over the communicator.

"Why did you send out the DYNAMO Professor? You know how dangerous she is? What if she starts attacking the city instead of Mojo?!"

"Now Blossom, calm down. I've already thought of that possibility. I installed an update to the DYNAMO's AI targeting system before I sent her out after you three. It should be able to distinguish enemy threats more precisely now instead of attacking anything that moves." The Professor had his hands raised in a defensive posture. Bubbles thought over what he said and something popped out at her.

"Wait. It SHOULD be able to? What does that mean Professor?"

"It means-"

"-that it hasn't been tested yet. For all we know, after it finishes off Mojo it could see the city as a threat and start destroying it." Blossom cut in before the Professor had a chance to finish his answer. She sent another frown at the communicator and this time Bubbles joined in.

DYNAMO destroying the city was definitely not what they wanted. Wasn't the Professor always stating the importance of carefully testing in science? He constantly lectured them about being fully sure of your end results before committing to an experiment. While a fight to the death wasn't technically the most scientific of experiments, Bubbles still thought it should have counted in this instance.

"I know! I know! What I did was risky, but it was the only way I could help you girls! I couldn't bear the thought of losing any of you." His downcast expression tugged at Bubbles heart strings. There was no way she could hold it against him when he was only doing what real fathers did, trying to protect his little girls. Buttercup and Blossom must have felt it too as Blossom bit down on her lip and Buttercup took over the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We can talk about all this later! Right now the most important thing is that we gain control of DYNAMO before she defeats Mojo and sets her sights on the city."

"Right Buttercup. I looked through my original blueprints of DYNAMO and remembered that I installed an emergency access hatch at the base of her neck. Inside the access hatch there is a ladder that will lead directly to the cockpit. If you girls can get in there, it should be simple to turn off the autopilot and take over control of the DYNAMO." The Professor explained as the girls tried to ignore the sounds of battle across the plaza.

The contest of strength had ended unceremoniously as Mojo's robot won out and tossed DYNAMO into a thirty story building. The building shook under the impact and panes of glass fell from their settings, sending a rain of shrapnel down on DYNAMO.

"Okay, but that still doesn't answer how we are going to get to the access hatch. We can't fly anymore Professor."

Shell shocked would have been the perfect word to describe the Professors face after Buttercup revealed their weakness. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before managing to choke something out. "You can't fly?! It's g-gone? Completely?!"

The three girls nodded sadly at him. The Professor let out a deep breath and ran a hand through his coal black hair. "This is….going to make things quite a bit harder. Hmmm." The trio sat in silence for a moment while the Professor stroked his brow, trying to find a solution.

Another earthquake exploded under their feet and the girls were almost sent tumbling. Glancing behind their cover, Bubbles saw DYNAMO lying on her back with Mojo triumphantly standing over her; the robot's giant laser leveled directly at her chest plating. Before the deadly blast could be fired, the autopilot commanded DYNAMO and she kicked at one of the jointed knees that kept Mojo's monstrosity standing. It tumbled down onto its back and DYNAMO pounced on it. The punching that ensued looked more like a barroom brawl than a fight between two highly advanced fighting robots.

"That's it!" Bubbles turned back to find Blossom with a knowing smile on her face.

"What's it?" She seriously had no clue what Blossom had managed to gleam from that exchange, but then again she was the smart one of the group.

"We need to get DYNAMO onto her back, or chest. Either one will work. From there we can climb up to the emergency entrance. Professor! Do you have a way to stall DYNAMO to give us time to get to the access hatch?"

"I suppose I could insert a small virus via telemetry link. It might stall her for a minute, but the anti-virus I installed in her is one of the best. You'd have maybe 60 seconds to gain entry." He stated as he turned away from the screen and began typing away on a nearby computer.

"You'll have to inform me of the proper time to active the virus. Once I enter the command DYNAMO will freeze in whatever position it is in and stay that way until the virus has been contained. At least that's what should happen." Even though the last part was muttered all the girls still picked up on it and exchanged nervous glances.

"It can't be helped. You get that virus ready Professor and we'll tell you when to active at. How long will you need?" Blossom asked.

"Give me minute, I just happened to be examining a virus the other day that tried to attack my computer. It shouldn't be too hard to go in and change the coding. AH! Here it is. I'll need a couple minutes to alter the code. Can you girls hang out that long?" Bubbles heard the frantic typing of keys even though she was two feet away from the communicator.

"I think the question you should ask is can Townsville hang out that long." Came Buttercup's insightful comment, but this time Bubbles would admit it did have credit.

The robots were still pounding away at each other, using their lasers and missiles to battle now. Explosions rocked the few standing buildings surrounding the plaza and dust filled the air. A never ending shower of rubble seemed to fall down around them. At this rate, Townville might not last another sixty seconds.

"Come on girls, we need to get in close." Blossom ordered before leaving the safety of their cover and dashing out into the battlefield. Buttercup slipped her arm off Bubbles shoulder and followed after their leader.

Running head first into a battle field with occupants that could squash you like a bug? Oh yeah, this was definitely a good idea.

She knew the situation was bad when Buttercup's sarcasm started infecting her thoughts. Bubbles let out a miserable sigh before chasing after her sisters, praying for the umpteenth time that day that they would make it out of this battle alive.

It was a hair-raising experience to run through the battlefield, dodging falling rubble and the errant laser blasts. Never had Bubbles felt her own mortality more than now. Every close call, every piece of concrete that almost landed on them sent her heart into her throat.

She kept her eyes focused ahead on her two sisters as they led the way closer to the towering robots raining destruction down upon the city around them. Her sister's convictions and determination gave her the strength to swallowed her fear and continue running head on into danger, but then again, that's what sisters were for.

After a couple minutes of running through the obstacle course that used to be Townsville Capitol Plaza, they reached a good position. It was close by the robots but far enough away to remain hidden from their sight.

"What if they see us? Or spot us on their sensors Blossom?" Bubbles whispered as they crouched down behind an upended slab of asphalt.

"Hopefully they'll be too busy focusing on each other to get a read on us. The trickiest part will be getting to the access hatch safely. And if Mojo sees us you can be sure he'll try and destroy us before we can gain control of DYNAMO." Blossom replied, carefully watching the robots as they fought. They only had one chance at this, it had to be perfect.

"Good times." Buttercup grumbled as she also watched the fighting robots. Incredibly, Bubbles had to fight down a small smile at Buttercup's statement. It was good to know that no matter how dire the situation got, Buttercup still kept her optimistic and sweet disposition about life.

A beeping noise emitted from Blossom's watch again and all three girls to huddle together to see the Professor as she answered it.

"Okay, girls. I have the virus ready to upload when you give the command. Remember you'll only have a minute or two to get in."

"Got it Professor. It shouldn't be too long before we get an opportunity."

"Good….." He paused and looked off to the side for a moment before turning back to the communicator. The girls were all a bit shocked to see tears gathering in his eyes.

"Just…promise me you'll stay safe? Please?"

Tears started accumulating in Bubbles own eyes at her father's heartfelt plea. How do you say no to something like that?! She knew the Professor cared for her and her sisters as if they were his own daughters but she had never heard him issue such concern for their safety before. Of course, they had never been into battle without their powers before either. That was as good a cause for concern as any.

"We can't make that promise Professor." Bubbles gaped at Blossom as she addressed the Professor. The blonde understood that what they were about to do would most likely get them killed very quickly, but she didn't have to be so blunt in crushing the Professor's hopes. That was plain mean! She was about to chastise her older sister when Blossom caught her eye, causing her to pause.

"I can't promise that we'll be safe, but I can promise we'll try our hardest to make it so." Of course Blossom wouldn't be that harsh. She would be realistic but she still had a kind heart. Bubbles felt a bit guilty at her hasty assumption. In her defense it had been a REALLY long, difficult day; her emotions were all over the place. She took a calming breath while Buttercup leaned in further to the screen on the communicator watch.

"And you know a Powerpuff promise is as good as gold Dad." This caused a small smile to spring onto his face as he softly nodded.

"Of course honey. I know you'll try your best." He quieted, trying to think of something else to say to extend this moment. The fight clanged on behind them. Blossom glanced back and saw Mojo's robot had DYNAMO in a vice grip. He looked ready to slam her full force into the ground. The other two girls saw this also. It was time.

Bubbles felt the panic she had been struggling with rise back up as the moment came. She had to say something to the Professor before it was too late. Something that would leave her with no regrets.

"We love you dad." Bubbles choked out.

Soft, deep brown eyes gazed back as the tears finally spilled over onto his cheeks. "And I love all of you. Very much."

"NOW Professor!" He blinked and pressed down on a button on his console as DYNAMO was slammed face first into the ground only a hundred and fifty meters away from their position.

Without a moment to lose, the girls set off running towards the robot. Blossom took the lead, her red hair streaming behind her like a banner of war. Buttercup followed next with gritted teeth as she fought through the pain in her side and kept pace with her leader. Bubbles brought up the rear ready to help Buttercup should she falter.

The virus from the Professor did its job. DYNAMO was stuck frozen as the girls got closer to it. The sudden stillness from the robot also caused Mojo to pause in his rampage.

"What tom foolery is this? Answer robot! Answer Mojo Jojo before I resume my destruction and end you like I ended those miserable Powerpu- WHAT!?" Bubbles got the feeling that they had been spotted.

"Curse you! What are you girls still doing alive?! You should be crushed to pieces by now!" Yep they were spotted.

Only 30 more meters to go! Blossom spotted the hatch and jumped up towards it, pulling hard on the release. With a hiss the hatch door swung open. Another hiss echoed through the air, but it wasn't from the door, Bubbles realized that was Mojo's laser warming up.

"10 seconds girls!" The Professor's cry came through the communicator.

Blossom helped haul Buttercup up into the hatch and held out a hand for Bubbles to grab. The hiss of Mojo's weapon grew in crescendo, it would fire within seconds. She joined Buttercup in the access tunnel.

"Hurry Blossom!" She yelled as she started up the ladder, following Buttercup's lead.

A JOOM shot through the air as the laser fired off its deadly blast. Bubbles clenched her eyes shut and waited for the flesh to be instantaneously seared from her bones. Instead she nearly lost her grip on the ladder as the robot she was harboring inside of took the brunt of the attack. Blossom had barely managed to close the hatch in time.

DYNAMO shook and tumbled causing the girls inside to hang on for dear life until it rolled to a stop. A few second later, another jar shook the robot and a sudden sense of weightlessness overcame Bubbles. It took a moment to realize that they were flying through the air. And when you were flying, there was always a landing. This was going to hurt.

CRASH!

The impact shook the teeth in her jaw as her head banged into a metal wall. Her sisters were in no better state; Buttercup had lost her grip on the ladder completely but had somehow wedged herself in the tight space to keep from falling. It must have been painfully on her ribs though. Even in the dark Bubbles could see her gritted teeth. Blossom was stuck below at the base of the ladder trying to use the wall to stand up.

"Up to the cockpit!" She ordered as she grabbed a hold of a rung and began to pull herself up. Bubbles and Buttercup obeyed as quickly as they could. Though the robot kept jarring and moving, they managed to make it to the cockpit without another incident.

"Bubbles! You take the sensors and defensive operations. Buttercup! Offensive weaponry! I'll take the mobility controls."

"Right!" The two sisters yelled out simultaneously as they ran to their stations. They strapped themselves in and gave Blossom the green light.

When she was sure her sisters were in place, Blossom slapped down on the autopilot button. Instantly the DYNAMO stopped moving and attacking Mojo. Its yellow eyes dulled a bit before flaring brighter than before. Manual control had been seized; it was all up to the girls now.

"Come on girls! Let's show Mojo what we got!" Blossom shouted as she drove down on the controls and sent the DYNAMO straight at the monstrous mech.

The battle raged for what felt like hours. It could have actually been hours for all Bubbles knew, the sky had darkened from bright blues to deep purples and oranges. Alarms rang out through the cockpit as another missile hit them and sent the robot flying back. Blossom managed to regain control and jumped into the air. Buttercup took advantage of the height and sent a barraged of lasers at their opponent.

"Direct hit!" Buttercup let out a whoop and readied a set of missiles. Mojo's robot picked itself up from the ground and tried to ready its chest laser. Unfortunately for him, the damage it had sustained from the ongoing battle had rendered it unusable. You wouldn't hear Bubbles complain about it though. They needed any advantage they could get. She looked down at her sensors once again as the robots rammed into each other and engaged in hand to hand combat.

Somehow their fight had traveled from the Townsville Capitol Plaza to the once pristine park that Mojo had turned into a bed of fire. Blossom had been able to inadvertently put down most of the flames during the fight but the damage was already done. The only consolation was that they stopped the fires from spreading to the other parts of Townsville.

A right hook hit DYNAMO square in the jaw and sent the mech reeling. Mojo followed up with a combo that ended with a kick directly at DYNAMO's chest. The robot was sent shooting through the air. Bubbles gritted her teeth as the g-forces pressed against her. Their momentum was quickly halted as DYNAMO slammed in the melted volcano at the center of the park.

Even more alarms began ringing through the cockpit as the lights flickered out briefly. Sparks shot up from Blossom's console nearly catching her in the face. As the sparks calmed down Blossom tried the smoking controls in front of her. DYNAMO shuddered as she tried to stand it up, but the damage proved too much. With a groan DYNAMO fell back down onto the volcano.

Blossom slammed a fist into the panel. It didn't make a dent. "Darn it all! I've lost most of my mobility control! Only one of the legs and arms are responding." She leaned back with a frustrated sigh. "We're done for."

"Not yet Leader Girl, I've still got some offensive weaponry." Buttercup interjected as she typed away on her console.

"The lasers are off line, but the missiles are still active. The firing tubes look to be all clear too. If we can get Mojo close enough we'll be able to hit him with everything we've got. That might finish him off."

"I don't think getting him close enough is going to be a problem!" Bubbles shouted as she watched her flickering sensor readouts. A large dot on the screen was approaching at a frightening speed.

"Get those weapons ready to fire Buttercup! You don't have any time to lose!" Blossom snapped her order as she undid her safety straps and stepped towards the brunette.

"On it!"

Bubbles watched as the dot grew closer and closer with each passing second. A preemptive wince had already formed on her face as she counted down the time until impact.

"FIRE!" Buttercup didn't hesitate to carry out Blossom's order. Mojo's robot was barely thirty meters in front of them when she released a full payload of the DYNAMO's missile into its path. Mojo had no time to react and took it straight on.

Explosions rocked the cockpit and sent Blossom tumbling to the ground. Bubbles gripped her seat for dear life as the heat of the explosions washed over them. Being this close, DYNAMO probably suffered just as much damage as Mojo's monstrosity. Hopefully it was enough to take him out of commission. If it wasn't…..Bubbles didn't even want to think of the possibility.

"*Cough* Bubbles! *cough cough* do you have *cough* any sensor read outs?"

The blonde wafted away the smoke clouding her vision and leaned in close to her instruments. The screens flickered and shifted so much it was hard to glean anything from it. She turned back to her redheaded sister and shook her head morosely.

"It's no good, all of its broken." She unstrapped herself from her seat and moved over to her sister as they gathered around Buttercup.

"Weapons are completely off line now. That blast fried all the connections. Do you think we got him?" Buttercup asked as she too unbuckled herself and stood up.

"I don't know, but let's not wait to fi-"A violent shudder wrenched through the cockpit causing the girls to grab onto each other to maintain their balance.

"FOOLS! You are out of resources! Your robot has been completely decommissioned, that is to say, utterly decimated! And now….it is your turn Powerpuff Girls!"

One of DYNAMO's eyes was harshly ripped away. Live wires sparked and flared as the cockpit was exposed to the cool night air. A harsh light shone down upon them from Mojo's mechanical terror. Bubbles could see it barely held onto life.

A huge chunk had been blown out of its shoulder, completely separating its arm from the rest of its body. Its once shining metallic plate was scarred and melted in various places. The bright red eyes still glared down malevolently at the three girls though.

Mojo leveled the robots lone fist at the cockpit, prepared to finish this fight once and for all with a single blow. Bubbles let out a slight whimper and clutched at Blossom's arm. Buttercup was tense on their leader's other side.

"What do we do now?" Buttercup covertly whispered out of the corner of her mouth. The fist reared back with a thrum of clanking metal and moving mechanical parts.

"JUMP!" Before Mojo could launch the fist and end his pesky problem, Blossom grabbed both of her sister's arms and threw herself through the opening that used to be DYNAMO's eye; dragging her sisters with her.

Bubbles scream of fear was abruptly cut off as she met the side of the volcano with a painful crunch. Above her came the sound of twisting, shrieking metal. A shower of debris flew through the air and pierced the nearby ground. They had barely made it out before the robot pulverized them. They were alive.

A groan came from Bubbles right. She tried to leverage herself up but a sharp pain through her arm brought her back down to the ground. It was her turn to let out a groan of pain. Looking at her arm, she saw it was now sitting at an unnatural angle.

A broken arm….severely broken.

It was both frightening and in a way fascinating. She had never suffered from broken bones before. A hand reached down and dragged Bubbles from her morbid examination as she was hauled to her feet. Green eyes clouded with pain looked at her with concern.

"Come on! We gotta move!" Before she had a chance to reply, Buttercup was already dragging her across the cooled mountainside. Ahead she could see the limping form of her eldest sister, scrambling down the mountain side as fast she could.

A whirl overhead caused both sisters to briefly look up; which gave them enough time to throw themselves forward to avoid the robotic fist that came crashing down on them. Bubbles and Buttercup tumbled and skidded down the slope of the volcano, gathering a large collection of cuts and bruises along the way.

Bubbles slide to a stop at the base of the mountain with a grunt and tried to shake the stars from her vision. It was a bad idea. The world began to tilt and a vile taste crawled up the back of her throat. A deep breath and a couple blinks caused the world to right itself, but the taste remained.

Blossom chose this time to grab Bubbles by the collar and together with Buttercup, pull her to her feet. It was a little too much too fast. Both sisters stepped back to avoid the mess as Bubbles emptied her stomach on the charred ground.

"Ew…gross." Buttercup muttered with a supremely disgusted look on her face. A clanking once again caught their attention. Blossom turned her head to look behind them. Slowly, but steadily, Mojo's robot was turning itself around towards them.

"Come on." Blossom yanked a still coughing Bubbles with her as she took off across the wasteland. Buttercup followed behind them, easily keeping up to them despite having to run hunched over. Blossom's limp made running impossible but still they tried.

Bubbles finally regained her stomach and draped one of her sister's arms across her shoulders. They could travel a little bit faster with the weight being somewhat alleviated from Blossom's damaged leg.

The sound of huge foreboding footsteps also helped motivate them to increase their speed. The ground shook as Mojo launched another punch at them, a giant trying to squash some errant bugs. The girls kept their balance and picked up their speed once more.

Bubbles was terrified. All she could hear was the harsh sound of her own breathing. Pain radiated from her arm and various other strained muscles and bruises. Smoke clouded her vision as she blindly led her sister across the treacherous terrain.

At least any direction they chose would lead them out of the killing field, Mojo's volcano laid dead center of the park. Any direction they traveled in would eventually get them out. How long that would take though….the ground shook once more and caused Bubbles to stumble.

Blossom almost took the both of them down as her good leg gave out. Thankfully Buttercup had caught up with them and grabbed Blossom before she could fall.

"Pick her up from that side Bubbles, we'll have to carry her." Bubbles nodded in agreement and slipped her good arm under Blossom's leg, gripping her knee. Buttercup did the same on the other side and they picked her up, Blossom sitting between them.

There was difficulty at first, Buttercup underestimated the condition her ribs were in and almost dropped the redhead as soon as she took her weight, she was able to adjust for it though. Blossom winced as every step they took jarred her busted leg; she tightened her grasp on her sisters to keep from falling backwards onto the ground.

With Blossom no longer slowing them down, the Green and Blue Puff stepped up their pace and began jogging away from the villain chasing after them. Oh so slowly, the steps of their pursuer fell further behind. Bubbles felt a small blossom of hope in her chest grow with each step. They were doing it! They were going to make it out of this terrible ordeal alive! Mojo must have sensed this too as the lumbering steps slowed to a stop behind them.

"You think this is over Powerpuff Girls?! You have not even seen the extent of my power! I have been preparing for this moment for years! Townsville is mine! And soon the whole world will be as well! Run you powerless girls and watch as the world bows down to MOJO JOJO!"

Buttercup and Bubbles dashed from the park's burnt ground to the melted asphalt of city streets. Quickly they ran into a nearby alley way and out of sight. No matter how far they ran though, the maniacal laughter that filled the air followed them.

A shiver ran down Bubbles spine at the evil sound. The small flower of hope in her wilted and died as the realization finally set in.

The Powerpuff Girls had lost the battle, lost the battle and Townsville itself. She was only mildly surprise to find the tears sliding down her face reflected on her sister's faces as well. For the first time, the Powerpuff Girls had failed to save the day. Onward they ran in silence, trying to block out the triumphant laughter that sealed their fate.

* * *

**AN: And there we go! I uploaded two chapters instead of one today because it felt like they needed to be read together. So just think of it as a Bonus Saturday! If you liked what you read then don't forget to drop a review down below and tell me what you think. Thanks! See you next Saturday!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Somebody That I Used to Know

Chapter 4 – Somebody that I Used to Know

Bubbles was abruptly ripped from her flashback by the sound of metal scraping on concrete. She tore her eyes away from the mountain and found the stranger shoving aside a manhole covering. He looked up and waved to her before slipping inside. The building behind her shook as it took on the additional weight of the Collectors. Seems her memories had taken up more time than she originally thought. Having no choice, Bubbles followed him down into the darkness, dragging the lid closed behind them.

As the lid slide shut, total darkness engulfed them and made seeing near impossible. Near impossible if you were a regular human that is. Bubbles blinked a few times to get her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Enhance eye sight was only one of the residual benefits of having years of Chemical X flow through your body. It was something she was often grateful for, more so today than other days.

Jumping the last rung, Bubbles turned and found the young man she was traveling with leaning against the tunnel wall gripping his arm. She could barely discern the deep stain spreading across the sleeve of his sweat shirt. That would have to be dealt with soon, or he could pass out from blood loss. Being stuck in the sewers with an unconscious man and three Collectors after you was NOT a desirable situation to be in.

He shoved himself of the wall and began jogging down the tunnel as soon as he saw her off the ladder. If there was an award for determination he would get it. Of course, it wasn't that hard to be determined when the only other option was death, but still the guy had chutzpah. Maybe he wasn't as hurt as she thought.

Bubbles shook her head and hurried to follow him before he disappeared into the darkness. The sewer tunnels were in the same shape as the roads above, that is to say, in horrible condition. Fallen pieces of the ceiling littered the ground and the places clear of rubble were filled with rat nests.

Bubbles grimaced as she hopped over a particularly large nest. She loved small animals but rats were something else entirely. They were dirty and carried all sorts of diseases, worse was the fact that this tunnel was filled with them. Thankfully most of the offending animals scurried away from the slightest sound but it still unnerved her to hear them move around in the darkness.

A rumble shook the tunnel and concrete fell from above. Bubbles dodged the falling rubble easily enough but it seemed the Collectors were still on their trail.

Damn heat sensing capabilities.

It was a good thing she had her enhance night vision, moving any slower would make the two of them easy bait for the metal monstrosities above. Why, any normal human would have tripped up eleven times over by now.

Bubbles skidded to a halt as that thought hit her. Wait…how was the stranger ahead of her managing this obstacle course? The man must have heard her stop because he too skidded to a halt and turned to look at her.

Immediately their eyes locked, which wasn't all that surprising. Bubbles and her sisters had found that their eyes let off a soft glow in the darkness, making it easy for others to find them without a light. Not a headlight from a car kind of thing, more like the color of their eyes defied the darkness. He could probably see her sky blue eyes even if he was twenty feet farther down the tunnel.

What she hadn't expected was to be able to see his deep ocean blue gaze stand out against the darkness as well. Bubbles struggled to keep her jaw from gaping open. That was definitely unexpected…and suspicious as hell.

"Why'd you stop? We have to keep moving." He whispered urgently

At the sound of his voice, Bubbles eyes chilled into glaring chips of ice.

"Who are you?" She demanded, lowering her voice into a more intimidating pitch.

It didn't work.

The young man looked at her, confusion wrinkling his brow, before glancing at the ceiling.

"Is this really the time? Let's go." As if to accentuate his demand, another round of dust and rubble rained down. He turned and started off down the tunnel again. Bubbles warning bells went off, something about this guy definitely wasn't right. She had gotten the feeling before, but now it was pressing into her consciousness like an annoying itch.

Bubbles ran and caught up to him, stopping in the middle of his path. He barely avoided crashing into her.

"I think it's the perfect time. Who _are_ you and _where_ are you taking me?" She gripped the handle of her kitchen knife hooked to her left thigh while peering up to him. The stranger leaned away from her intense stare. He seemed nervous; more so than he had been while dashing through the city with three Collectors after him. Not a good sign in Bubbles book. He swallowed and looked up at the ceiling again.

"Look, if I wanted to get you killed I would have left you back at the mall, okay? Can you just wait with the questions, we're almost there."

"Almost where? One of Mojo's secure prisons?" Her glare intensified.

"What?! No!" He replied with alarm. "It's his lab, look-" A loud clunk, much closer than before, showered the couple with bits of rubble. "they're almost here, if we can get to his lab they'll lose us. You've trusted me this far, just a bit more."

Bubbles stared him down, not budging and inch.

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Please?"

The plea caused her to blink. That wasn't something she had expected. After a long moment she stepped back. Another clank sounded overhead and caused her to look at the ceiling anxiously. Maybe waiting a bit longer wouldn't hurt. She stepped out of the way and gave the man a nod of assent.

They took off once again as claws began puncturing the top of the sewer lines. Shafts of daylight illuminated the tunnel as a Collector torn off a section of the ceiling directly above their heads. She was embarrassed to say it, but the glaring red eye hovering above her head caused Bubbles to let out a squeak of fear.

The new light pouring in revealed the end of the tunnel ahead. A big metal door with an electronic pad stood ten meters in front of them, hopefully offering them sanctuary.

A swoosh from above caused Bubbles to instinctively roll forward as a Collector slammed its claw into the space she just evacuated.

"Hurry!" She yelled at her companion, staggering back to her feet.

He raced forward and slapped his hand down on the pad. A green light blipped on a moment later and the door started groaning open. The opening barely cleared two feet when Bubbles raced through, heedless of any potential traps. The young man followed immediately after her.

It wasn't a moment too soon, a second behind them a Collector claw broke through the door and buried itself into the metal floor. Another claw burst through the ceiling moments later. Before long Bubbles was stumbling through the room as the walls and ceiling were assaulted with a multitude of claws tearing at the metal.

This couldn't have been the safe place the guy had meant right? This wasn't going to protect them at all! A chunk of wall fell inward and a red eye peered through. Bubbles sucked in a quick breath.

They were doomed, she knew it.

Apparently, the young man with her didn't. He raced past her, grabbing her arm, and dragged her into a darkened corridor at the far side of the room.

"How are we going to lose them?!They're right on us!"

"Quiet." The command was sharp but quiet. It reminded her so much of Blossom that Bubbles instinctively obeyed and shut her mouth.

The shaking of the ceiling gradually lessened as he led her through a maze of corridors. They changed directions so much that soon Bubbles was completely lost, she got the feeling they were heading downwards though. This feeling was confirmed as the cool autumn air dissipated and was replaced by an increasing heat.

At first the heat was a welcome relief from the chill, but it was becoming oppressive the further they kept running. As they ran on, both her and her companion were soon sweating and gasping for air. They stumbled to a stop and tried to catch their breath.

"Are…are they gone?" Bubbles asked hesitantly while looking towards the ceiling.

The young man shook his head with a shrug, hands on his knees still panting. Bubbles took one deep breath and straightened, getting a good look at their surroundings.

The corridor they were in was made of a strange type of metal; it was like nothing she had ever seen before. It had an iridescent quality and was oddly cool to the touch considering it was sheltering them from the heat of a dormant volcano.

While touching the wall she caught sight of a windowed section a few feet ahead. Before she could stop herself, she was already walking towards it and upon reaching the window she let out an astonished gasp.

Hundreds of feet below her, lava exploded and swirled inside an enormous cavern. Flames randomly burst into the air as the lake of fire churned and heaved. The air shimmered as sparks cascade into each other. It was awe inspiring to behold.

"We're in the heart of the volcano." Bubbles whispered incredulously to herself.

"Mmmm" Bubbles jumped at the sound off to her right. She had been so taken in with the view that she missed the stranger stepping up to her.

'Way to pay attention to your surroundings silly girl!' Bubbles mentally chastised herself. She had made a ton of mistakes on this run and this was yet another to throw in the pile. Something about this guy was seriously throwing her off.

"The temperature here masks our body heat from the Collector's sensors. We should be safe to leave after we wait an hour or two." He pulled the beanie from his head and used it to mop at the sweat dripping from his brow.

Light, blonde hair clung to his head, curling oddly where it ended an inch past his ears. The bandana covering his nose and mouth had been pulled down to his neck revealing a strong chin covered with a tiny amount of stubble. Bubbles couldn't help but stare intently at him.

Suddenly the adrenaline clouding her brain vanished and all the pieces clicked together in her mind: his endurance, his speed, being able to see in the dark with glowing eyes, opening a door to Mojo Jojo's 'secret' lab. The mop of blonde hair and a good look at his face only confirmed it all.

Her wide open eyes hardened as she oh so slowly stepped away from the window, all the while sliding her kitchen knife from its sheath. By the time the young man noticed she had moved it was too late.

He turned around and the next thing he knew, he was lying on his back staring at the point of a very sharp knife aimed over his throat.

"Where are the other two?" Bubbles asked him in a clipped tone. The chill in her voice and the ice in her eyes made it clear she wasn't playing games. This was Bubbles deadly serious, emphasis on the deadly.

He remained silent, staring at her with unblinking eyes. She released an aggravated growl.

"I'm serious Boomer! Where are your brothers?!" She demanded gripping his collar and giving him a shake. Despite the threat, he still continued staring at her. Why wasn't he talking?! Didn't he know what position he was in? Bubbles was about to demand an answer from him again when he unexpectedly spoke up.

"Scavenging probably." He calmly answered her, keeping his face blank and not even appearing to notice the knife inches away from his jugular vein.

Scavenging? That was his answer? He actually expected her to believe that?

This situation she found herself in was beyond warped. Here she was, trapped in an underground tunnel with an old enemy of hers and she had absolutely no idea how to escape. Let's not forget the three Collectors above who were, no doubt, still looking for them. Any way she looked at it led her to the same conclusion. She had walked right into a neat little trap, waltzed in really if she were going to be honest.

Argh! How could she be so stupid?! Seriously! What were the odds that she would just happen to run into a mysterious stranger in the middle of a desolate city? And how about how he had just _happened_ to know of a place to hide from the Collectors? Which just _happened_ to be Mojo Jojo's former lab? How could she have not seen this?!

She should have known who he was the moment he was able to keep up with her after taking that hit to the arm. No regular human could shrug that off and keep on going. She should have known and took off running.

Instead here she was, facing down a Rowdyruff Boy with no back up, no powers, and no way out. Maybe she deserved this, who in their right mind would help hide her from Collectors out of the goodness of their heart? No one was like that now-a-days. Time to put on a tough face and bluff her way out this messed up situation.

"Scavenging?...Right. Cause Mojo doesn't have enough in his palace as it is." Bubbles channeled her inner Buttercup to pack as much sarcasm into that sentence as she could. It would have made her older sister proud.

A spark of emotion lit up Boomer's eyes as his blank stare snapped into a glare. Bubbles blinked in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that. She hadn't expect at lot of the responses he had been giving her actually.

His glare held more emotion than the entire time they had been running for their lives. Boomer capitalized on her shock and in a blur, he caught hold of her hand and flipped her off of him. Within seconds, their positions were reversed and it was Bubbles turn to look at the sharp end of a knife, her knife to be exact.

How embarrassing.

Instead of slitting her throat on the spot, or looking down at her with a gloating smile at how stupid she had been, Boomer simply glared at her for a minute.

"Don't." Was the only thing he said, more like growled, before he let go of her. He dropped the knife and retreated a couple feet away, sliding down to sit against one of the walls. Bubbles hesitantly sat up and rubbed her wrist as she watched him with mixed emotions.

Confusion, anger, and maybe the slightest hint of fear warred inside her as she tried to wrap her head around what just happened.

He had let her go.

She was in the perfect position for a trap to be sprung, pinned and helpless there had been nothing she could do at that moment; yet he let her go.

That wasn't what was supposed to happen! He was supposed to call in the Simian troops who would tie her up and drag her away. Then she would have probably endured a public flogging or be used for ransom against her sisters, maybe both depending on how merciful Mojo was feeling at the moment.

Or he should have ended her right there! She was public enemy number one along with her siblings. Her death would no doubt give him plenty of rewards from his creator.

Yet….neither of those things had happened. This was not going how Bubbles thought it would. She took a steadying breath and tried to think through it logically.

Yes, it was the perfect trap, hook, line, and sinker but there were a few glaring inconsistencies in this whole scenario now that she thought about it.

He hadn't followed her the first time they met in the mall, then he took that harpoon that would have incapacitated her, and finally he didn't kill her moments ago.

She could understand the first one. Maybe he hadn't known it was her? It was a long shot as everyone seemed to know her on sight. It was the pigtails; even though they hung low at the nape of her neck now, pigtails were still pigtails. Boomer was the dense one though, he could have mistaken her for an ordinary citizen…scavenging in a deserted city…with no one else around…a young lady on her own.

Yeah right, he definitely knew it was her.

The harpoon incident was strange to consider. Yeah, she might have been able to dodge on her own but it still would have hit her. A damaged Powerpuff seemed like a bonus if you were trying to capture her, put up less of a struggle. Once again Boomer did the opposite of what he was supposed to do; he pushed her out of the way and took the hit himself.

It didn't match up with what she remembered about him at all. He had always been a selfish, crude little boy. Why would he do something like that? There was no obvious benefit…besides winning her trust. A bit of her trust at least, one good act wasn't going to clean an entire bad history. Could he even think deviously enough for that? He had never been much of a thinker.

She'd get back to that one later, next came the most important inconsistency in this messed up situation. As fast as she was, even she couldn't have dodged a knife to the throat. She might have been able to fight him off for a bit but he was bigger and technically stronger than her, her death was pretty much assured.

He hadn't even tried to threaten her really. What was really weird about it was that he had nothing to lose; she had figured out his identity (finally) and was aware that she had been caught in his trap. Of all the times to launch said trap, that would have been it! Instead, he threw back her weapon and retreated.

This wasn't making any sense and now her head was aching. No wonder Blossom was so stern and uptight all the time, thinking this hard couldn't be good for your health. The Boomer she remembered from her past and the Boomer in front of her didn't add up, it was like they were two different people! What was going on?!

Bubbles looked at him as he stared petulantly at the floor. The look of anger he shot at her when she mentioned Mojo Jojo kept reappearing in her mind's eye. That had genuinely pissed him off…could he not be working for the monkey overlord?

It was true that no one had seen him or his brothers for the last ten years. One day they had simply disappeared off the face of the earth. There had been no signs of them in the last battle between the girls and Mojo. Why had they vanished? They should have been with Mojo.

If Mojo had them at his disposal, he would have used them at the start of his world takeover plot and achieved victory without a struggle.

Bubbles bit her lip uncertainly, doubts nagging at her mind. Was it possible that just maybe…she had jumped to conclusions? No! Of course not, well... maybe? But he was a Rowdyruff Boy! He had to be evil!

…Didn't he?

Slowly she stood up and began walking towards him. Thinking was getting her nowhere; it was time for a different approach. Boomer glanced up at her as she stopped in front of him a few feet away.

"You're not working for Mojo?"

"No." Again, a flash of anger entered his eyes that the suggestion.

Bubbles logical side was screaming at her that it was a lie. No one would openly admit they worked for Mojo! She shouldn't trust him at all; he tried to kill her on numerous occasions as a child for heaven's sake!

Blossom wouldn't believe him and Buttercup would have beaten him to a pulp by now. That's what her sisters would have done had they been here. But…they weren't here, and she wasn't her sisters. She didn't solely rely on logic or brute force to solve her problems; she trusted what her heart told her. Always had, always would.

And right now, her heart was unbelievably telling her that he was speaking the truth. There was something in his eyes that convinced her of that. Maybe it was that spark of anger or maybe it was that dead look that resided there all the other times. Whatever it was, she had come to her conclusion.

With a quick breath Bubbles sheathed her knife and crouched down in front of him. Blossom would lecture her something terrible for what she was about to do and Buttercup would plain smack her in the face, but she was going to do it anyway. She held out a hesitant hand towards the blonde before her.

"Your arm's bleeding pretty badly, I can patch it up for you." They both sat quietly for a minute as he looked at her suspiciously, weighing her peace offering.

Oh so slowly he raised his arm and took her hand. Bubbles offered him an uncertain half smile and looked down to examine his wound.

She peeled the torn fabric away from his arm and grimaced. It wasn't the worst she had ever seen, but it wasn't a pretty sight. A portion of skin the size of her hand had been ripped away and beneath the blood and plasma leaking from the wound she could make out the underlying muscle. The raw flesh twitched as she probed the injury as gently as possible.

It didn't look like there was much muscle damage, thank God; that would have been a nightmare to try and fix. Injuries of that magnitude, if handled improperly, could lead to permanent paralysis of the limb. She might consider Boomer an enemy but paralysis wasn't something she would wish on anyone. Not anyone.

Bubbles gingerly set his hand down and reached for her backpack. A minute of digging later and she had a roll of bandages, a bottle of disinfectant, and a small knife place in her lap. "Never leave home without your first aid kit," it was a motto she lived by. Literally.

Taking up the small knife, she cut away the ruined sweat shirt surrounding the injury and used it to mop up the blood. It was a fruitless effort as blood welled up again immediately after it was wiped away but she tried. Cleaning the area as best she could, Bubbles took up the disinfectant and sprayed a generous amount over his arm. Boomer didn't make a sound, not even as she tightly wound the bandage over it.

Bubbles gave the knot one last tug to keep it secure and then stood up and dusted herself off. Boomer kept staring at the ground as she picked up her pack and sat down on the opposite wall.

A minute ticked by in silence. Obviously she wasn't going to get a thank you any time soon. Did she even want one? Yes? No? Maybe?

Augh, why even bother. She should be doing something productive instead of agonizing over her thoughts. Something like….like…reorganizing her pack! Yes, that was definitely more productive.

As she took out and cataloged the various items in her pack she got that itchy feeling that she was being watched. It was unnerving to know you were being stared at by someone you kinda sorta considered an enemy, but she refused to look up.

If he had something to say then he should spit it out already and stop acting like a creeper. All too soon, her pack was full once again and everything was set in its proper place. Bubbles had only one thought as she set the pack aside.

'Now what?'

Twiddling ones thumbs got boring very quickly. It didn't help that the itchy feeling hadn't stopped. Finally it was too much to ignore and she glanced up, accidentally catching Boomer's eye.

It was weird; she had never really _looked_ him in the eye before. Sure there had been the typical stare downs when they were kids, a contest of wills; but that was all superficial. Looking into them now, she noticed how blue they really were and not just one shade of blue. There were swirls of cerulean and cobalt mixed with plums and ocean blues. It was a kaleidoscope of colors that were mixed together.

The moment ended abruptly as Boomer cleared his throat uncomfortably and turned his head away. Bubbles cheeks warmed when she realized she had been staring at him intently. Now who was the creeper?

"…Thanks…"

Bubbles blinked away her embarrassment and tried to process the simple word he had mumbled out. He was thanking her. Boomer, a Rowdyruff Boy….thanking her, a Powerpuff Girl.

"You're welcome…" She said in a soft voice. Boomer nodded and went back to his intense examination of the floor.

Bubbles opened her mouth to say more, but nothing came out. She couldn't think of a single thing to say. This had never been a problem for her before. She was, after all, the outgoing one of her sisters; able to make friends in the most unlikely of places. This scenario was quite a bit different from what she was used too however. It was probably for the best that she kept her mouth shut. Bubbles settle back against the wall with a soft sigh. The sooner this ordeal was over with the better.

'Bored, bored, so intensely and uncomfortably bored….' Bubbles thought to herself an hour or so later, playing absently with one of her pigtails. The two of them had been sitting in silence the entire time. No talking, no whistling, she couldn't even bring herself to hum. It was that uncomfortable.

Bubbles assumed it was just as uncomfortable for Boomer as it was for her, he didn't say another word. He didn't make any sound. In fact, once the immediate danger had passed, he had hardly spoken at all; except that 'thank you' he mumbled out. And the 'don't' he had growled at her.

He was definitely not the best of conversationalists, not that she was really expecting that but you know, some taunts or gloating or something would have been more in character for him. Instead she got silence. Awkward, uncomfortable silence. It wasn't her element at all.

Bubbles sighed quietly to herself, how long had they been sitting here exactly? The heat of the volcano was leaving her throat parched and who knew how it was affecting the food stuffed into her pack. Surely the Collectors had left by now.

"Do you think they're gone?" She wasn't really expecting an answer from the taciturn young man but it was worth a shot.

He kept his head downward, facing the ground, but looked out at her from the corner of his eye. A second later, he half shrugged and climbed to his feet. He began walking down one of the tunnels and motioned for her to follow over his shoulder. That was surprising but not at all unwelcome. Bubbles hurried to her feet, grabbed her pack, and chased after him.

Their ascent was conducted at a slow, measured pace. Every so often Boomer would stop and listen before moving on. Thankfully no sign of the Collectors could be heard as they climbed. Soon they were back in the entry room. Well, what was left of the entry room.

The Collectors were nowhere to be seen but the damage they left behind was more than enough. Sunlight streamed down into the once sub-terrain room illuminating the dusty interior. Rocks and dirt all but buried the metal floor. It was hard to tell this had been a room at all if not for the partially crushed door and the corridor they exited from.

The two of them climbed cautiously up the rubble and stuck their heads out above the rocky outcropping, using the mountain's height to scan the area. They weren't terribly far up the slope, but it was enough to give them a good vantage. Nothing but the wind moved through wasteland that used to be a park.

Boomer jumped the outcropping and slid down the slope. He looked around once more before calling up to her softly. "They're gone."

Bubble gracefully followed Boomer's example and descended the slope, sliding to a stop a few feet away from him. The two of them stood uncertainly there for a minute or two.

What did she do now? Should she walk away? Thank him? He did save her life, as weird as it still sounded. On the other hand, he had been her enemy for years and she had patched up his arm in the corridor. Maybe no thanks was needed, a sort of mutual let's not talk about this again type of thing. She glanced at him once more.

What was wrong with her? She was usually much better at handling socially awkward situations than this! Awkward situations that didn't involve Boomer obviously. Bubbles shifted her feet while she debated what to do.

Thankfully, Boomer solved her dilemma for her. He pointed down at a street on the far side of the park.

"Walk down that street. It will lead you to the mall." With that, he started off in the opposite direction. He didn't even glance back at her as he left.

"Wait!"

Bubbles mentally cursed herself for abruptly speaking out. She needed to think more before opening her mouth. At her call, Boomer stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "…Thank you."

He gave her a brief nod and started forward once again.

It was with a series of mixed emotions that Bubbles turned towards the road Boomer pointed out and began making her way back to the mall. Finding her way back to base from there would be no problem. It would also give her some time to think about all that had happened to her today.

A simple scavenging mission? Hah! Blossom was going to freak when she heard about this.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, Bubbles not so secret companion is now revealed and the story introduction chapters are pretty much completed. Now comes the fun stuff.**

**Tune in next Saturday for Chapter Five: "As Things Stand"  
There'll be new characters revealed! Can't have one Puff without the other two right?**

**As always, leave a review down below if you liked what you read or just want to tell me what you thought about my story/writing style. Any critiques would be mega helpful. Thanks! See you guys next week.**


	5. Chapter 5 - As Things Stand

Chapter 5 – As Things Stand

After two hours of walking, Bubble finally trudged out of an abandoned subway tunnel and the familiar sight of the Resistance Base came into view. It was really nothing more than one of the abandoned subway stations that had been forgotten about, but it was hidden and provided them access to almost all of Old Townsville via the tunnel network. It was perfect for their needs.

The base itself rested inside one of the largest subway stations that Old Townsville had. The large open lobby gave them room to pitch tents and set up equipment. There were various small rooms that branched off from the main lobby and several tunnels that led to nearby smaller common areas. The station could comfortably fit their entire company and had room for more when they got fully settled.

Up ahead a light suddenly flared up and shone on her. Bubbles slowed to a stop and raised a hand in greeting.

"It me, Bubbles." The light dimmed immediately and a voice called out.

"About time you got back Ma'am, the General was about ready to send a search party after ya."

Blinking a couple times to regain her sight, Bubbles walked up to the gate that served as one of the bases entrances. It wasn't so much a gate as a bunch of old, ruined train cars unfit for human habitation pushed together. It had a set of sliding doors though and offered a good obstacle should the Simian troops ever find it and that made it good enough. As she approached the doors slide apart and granted her access.

"Where is she Gil?" Bubbles asked the stocky sentry guard as she passed through the train to the lobby beyond.

Gil leaned out one of the windows and gestured to the liveliest end of the lobby. Military personnel bustled to and fro, some carrying equipment, others carrying papers, all in a hurry. "The Command Center. Where else?"

"Thanks." The guard gave her a nod and ducked his head back inside the train as Bubbles took off towards the hustle and bustle.

If she knew Blossom, and she did, the redhead was probably worried sick about her. She was supposed to report back an hour and a half ago, but the whole Collector event had thrown a wrench in her time schedule. She was not looking forward to the lecture Blossom no doubt had in store for her, but maybe that would be forgone if Bubbles brought up her adventure quick enough. That was a whole other can of worms itself.

Bubbles let her mind wander from the impending uncomfortable conversation with her sister and gazed about the base; before it had been a dusty forgotten mausoleum, now it was a secret, semi-sustainable base that more than seventy men and women of the Resistance called home.

Most of the personnel chose to house their personnel quarters in the old train cars that littered the station. Bubbles herself slept in one and her sisters each had their own as well. It was a bit cramped but after years of living in secluded military bases it was normal to her.

The main lobby had run out of room early in the base's establishment, what with all the equipment and the facilities that had to be set up. Currently, the Quad took up the most amount of room, followed by the Quartermaster's supply facility and Medical Clinic.

Personnel quarters were hard to come by so most soldiers had ventured into branching tunnels and the smaller lobbies to find space. There was even work to drill out more of the collapsed tunnels to expand the commons area. It was hard work, drilling and trying to be stealthy didn't really go hand in hand, but they had managed without alerting any Simian troops yet. Hopefully it would stay that way.

A group of women with baskets of clothes offered smiles and waves to Bubbles as she passed by, which she promptly returned with a bright smile of her own. Everyone had a job to do here, both men and women. There was always something that needed mending or some shipment of supplies that needed to be moved. Meals to be cooked, scouting missions that needed to be performed, scavenging runs for miscellaneous items that the Quartermaster needed.

It reminded Bubbles of an ant hill or a bee hive. Everyone knew their place and through the past two months of working together, they had become a well oiled machine. There were still disputes, sure, but for the most part it was probably the most peaceful place she had lived in since Mojo took power.

Military camps were never terribly comfortable to her; there was always so much pressure. Everyone was always on a schedule, always had to be somewhere doing something and heaven help you if you were late.

She had hated it, to tell the truth. There had never been time to enjoy life, they were fighting a war yeah, but that didn't mean you forgot about why you fought in the first place. It was different here. She could take the time to chat to people, to take a walk, to actually sleep. A full nights rest was like gold. Yes, she liked it here much better than South America or Africa. Maybe it was because there weren't any high strung generals breathing down her neck here like at the other bases.

"Bubbles! Where have you been?!"

'Well…almost no generals.' Bubbles thought with a small smile as she looked at the doorway before her.

The old administrative suites for the subway workers had been the perfect setting for the new Resistance Command Center in Old Townsville, and standing in the doorway was the Center's mistress: Blossom Utonium. Or 'The General' as the soldiers around base had affectionately taken to calling her. She wasn't a real rank general, but boy did she sure act like one.

The imposing redhead barely stood an inch higher than Bubbles herself, but the command of her presence always made her seem taller. Like Bubbles, the years of war had changed Blossom.

Not her confidence or leadership qualities, the years had only strengthened those, but they had stolen away her innocence. How could it not? The war against Mojo Jojo was literally Blossom's life and she spent every waking moment trying to plan and figure out a way to bring him to justice.

Bubbles was saddened that Blossom never really seemed to take time to enjoy life anymore, but it was a good outlet for her OCD. Thankfully Blossom had also lost the bossy attitude that plagued her childhood. There was a maturity to her now, a look in her eyes that made her seem older than she really was.

One of the biggest changes in her sister was the fact that Blossom's once meticulous wardrobe, neatly pressed and pleated, had been replaced with a mish mash of whatever they could find. Instead of impractical dresses, Blossom simply chose a pair of patched, dark blue jeans, a long grey shirt, and a set of black sneaker with faded pink stripes that peeked out from beneath her pant cuffs. She also layered a faded pink polo over her shirt, to make her seem more professional and competent. Well, that was what she had told her sisters.

Riiiiight, Bubbles knew it was really because she couldn't bear to part with her favorite color.

The only other accoutrements she wore were attached to the brown belt slung across her hips. Just the essentials of course: A knife on her left side, a pouch on her right, and a police baton looped through the back.

Bubbles had wondered at Blossom's choice in weaponry when they took up arms. After they lost their super powers they needed to find a new way to fight, martial weapons were the answer. Bubbles herself, preferred sharp knives and swords to fight with, they took down enemies quicker and were fairly silent.

A baton, on the other hand, took more work and made a whole lot more noise. It wasn't very practical in a stealth operation, but Blossom didn't fight a lot anyways so it worked out. She stuck to the strategies and left the actual fight to her sisters, which was fine in Bubbles' book.

All in all, Blossom could have passed for an average young woman trying to survive in a Simian ruled world; the only exceptions being her long fiery red hair and bright pink eyes. It was hard to be unassuming when you had such defining features. At least she had gotten rid of the overly large bow that she had loved as a child. Not only would it have looked ridiculous on a grown woman, it was a dead giveaway as to her identity. Most days she kept her hair pulled back in a low ponytail or a simple braid.

"You were supposed to back over an hour ago! What happened?!" Blossom asked as she grabbed her sister's shoulders and looked her over. Her brow wrinkled in concern and pulled at the twin scars running down the side of her forehead.

"I had a bit of trouble. Ha, you won't believe who I ran into today." Blossom's concerned look grew curious as she opened her mouth to speak. Bubbles cut her off before she could ask any questions. "I'll tell you all of it in the Center, but first we need to get Buttercup. She'll want to hear this too."

Blossom snapped her mouth shut into a small frown but grudgingly nodded.

"She's in the Map Room, come on." Her sister released her shoulders and stepped into the cramped corridors of the Command Center.

Bubbles had mostly gotten used to the cracked walls and poorly lit rooms by now, but the environment still made her a bit claustrophobic. It reminded her of those really bad horror movies Buttercup used to make her watch when they were younger, the kind where zombies or slime monsters would suddenly jump out from the darkness and pull you into the abyss. Bubbles gave a flickering light a suspicious look as they passed it before shaking her head.

'Grow up Bubbles! You're twenty for Pete's sake! There's nothing hiding in the dark, especially not in the base.' It was ridiculous to think about actually. After all the battles she had been through and the enemies she had fought, monsters hiding in the dark still made her the tiniest bit nervous. Buttercup would never let her live it down if she found out about that.

Bubbles broke out of her silly musings as she and her sister entered the Map Room. It was a simple, square room. Various maps of all different sizes covered the walls and gave the room its name. In the middle stood a large table with a huge map of Old Townsville laid across it. As they entered, the sole figure in the room stood up and turned to face them.

"Bout time you got back Bubs! I was getting ready to call the squad together."

Buttercup Utonium still carried herself with that infamous devil may care attitude and she was damn proud of it. Time may have tempered some of her rougher edges but the past couple of years leading a squad in the war against Mojo had only grown her thirst for battle. Once a fighter always a fighter, but Bubbles wouldn't have it any other way.

"Pinkie almost wore a hole in the floor from all her pacing." Buttercup joked as she ran a hand through her short pixie like hair, making it even messier than it had been. A relieved grin pulled at the scars running down the right side of her jaw onto her neck as she pulled Bubbles into a quick hug. Bubbles let out a small laugh in return.

"I thought as much." She whispered.

"I heard that." Both sisters shot Blossom their most innocent grins. Bubbles achieve the look easily; Buttercup's looked more mocking than innocent. Then again, that was the way most of Buttercup's grins turned out.

Buttercup used her extra inch height advantage and slung an arm around the petite blonde.

"So…you gonna tell us what kept you out so long or leave us in suspense?"

"Yes, I would definitely like to know."

"Okay, okay. You're going to want to sit down for this. Trust me." Bubbles sighed.

Blossom shut the door to the room while Bubbles took a seat. Buttercup pulled up a chair and sat down next to her sister, adjusting the long black cargo vest she wore so none of the knives that hung from it poked her. There were multitude of them and not all had sheathes, the dull green t-shirt she wore underneath her vest didn't offer much protection.

Blossom joined her sisters and merely gave Bubbles a look. It was time to tell her tale.

"First, you both have to promise me that you won't interrupt until I finish. Okay?" Her older sisters shared a half worried looked but agreed to her terms. Bubbles took a calming breath and launched into her adventure.

* * *

"I found the mall and from there I made my way back here without any trouble. That's about it." Bubbles finished with a sigh. It had taken a good ten minutes to tell her story and all throughout it her sister's jaws dropped more and more. Buttercup had nearly jumped in several times but was quieted by a quick glare from Blossom.

Bubbles leaned back in her chair, waiting to hear her sister's opinions. More like waiting for the firestorm to explode.

Buttercup didn't disappoint. A second after she finished, the brunette quit her pacing and slammed her metal backed gloves down on the table top.

"Boomer?! As in the Rowdyruff boy who tried to kill us multiple times Boomer?! The one who vanished off the face of the earth with his brothers ten years ago? That Boomer?!" The blond nodded silently.

"What the hell is he doing here?! He's supposed to be dead or something!" Bubbles shrugged, she had no clue to those answers. It wasn't like he had been very forthcoming with information during the time she was with him. Blossom joined the conversation before Buttercup could gain steam and start ranting.

"And he saved you from the Collectors?" Again the blonde nodded.

"Why in the world would he do that?" The redhead mumbled to herself.

"Maybe he's changed over the years?" Bubbles hesitantly spoke up. Buttercup immediately shook head.

"No way! I don't buy that for a second. A Rowdyruff boy saving a Powerpuff girl because he's had a change of heart? Psh! Yeah right, what's next? He bakes cookies for senior citizens? Once a villain, always a villain. It has to be a trap!"

Bubbles shrunk into her jacket at Buttercups vicious tone. This wasn't going too well. Had she expected it to? Not really.

"I'm inclined to agree with you Buttercup." Blossom sat up in her chair and looked at the map on the table. Bubbles let out a frustrated sigh. Had they listened to her story at all? She had emphasized the parts where Boomer went out of his way to save her. Didn't that count for anything?

"But he let me go! If it was a trap, shouldn't he have captured me or something?"

Buttercup seemed taken aback by the statement, unsure how to respond, but Blossom answered instantly.

"Maybe it's a larger trap. Why settle for one Powerpuff girl when she can lead you right to the other two?" Blossom looked expectantly at Bubbles.

The blonde snapped her mouth shut. She hadn't thought about that possibility. Could he have followed her back without her knowing? No, he had gone in the other direction and she had been extra careful on the way back; using one of the super-secret entrances to the tunnels. There was no way he could have followed her. He didn't even seem interested in her!

"If it is a trap then that means Mojo knows we're here and our advantage of surprise has been lost. That worries me more than a rouge Rowdyruff Boy helping our baby sister escape from a Collector or two. This is going to require an entire change to our operations." Blossom thought aloud before chewing on her lip.

"I still don't think that's true Blossom. He seemed really different from the last time we saw them." Bubbles spoke up again. "And when I mentioned Mojo, he got really angry. Like he was insulted or some-"

"Well of course he would do that! It's a trap Bubbles! He wouldn't admit to working for Mojo or even liking him. That would be utterly stupid. Even Boomer's not that dumb!"

After an extremely long day, Bubbles nerves were at the breaking point and the condescending tone which Buttercup was using was the final straw. Bubbles stood up out of her seat and leaned over the table to glare at her brunette sister.

"He ran off in the exact opposite direction of where I was going!"

"He could have easily circled around!"

"I think I would have been able to sense him following me Buttercup."

The conversation soon dissolved into a loud argument between the two. Buttercup pushed her anit-Rowdyruff sentiments while Bubbles struggled to defend her observations.

During all this, Blossom leaned back in her chair and thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip. After a minute of contemplating, she sat back up and slapped a hand down on the table. Hard.

Buttercup cut off mid-sentence and both her and Bubbles looked at their older sister. The stern look she sent their way made them both snap their mouths shut and sit down quietly. Blossom had gotten awfully good at controlling her two sisters over the years.

"I'm not sure who to believe right now. Like I said before, I'm more inclined to believe that it's a trap, but you do bring up some good points Bubbles. Never the less, we have to go with the safest assumption for the security of this base and its personnel. From now on, we are going to assume that the Rowdyruff boys are in league with Mojo Jojo and are actively working to destroy us and the Resistance."

Bubbles indignantly opened her mouth but Blossom stopped her cold with another stern looked. She settled back into her chair with a frown. Okay…it was more a pout than a frown.

"If either of you run into your counterpart or any other Rowdyruff in the field, you are to avoid all contact with them. We're going to have to be extra careful in our scavenging runs and scouting missions now. If Mojo does know we're here then we've already lost our biggest advantage."

Blossom stood up from her chair and walked towards one of the maps on the wall.

"Buttercup." The brunette stopped scowling at her younger sister and gave Blossom her attention.

"Go get Mitch and the Professor and bring them here. We're going to need to change our contingency plans if we want to be prepared for any surprises this might lead to. Keep the Rowdyruff Boys to yourself for now. The less people know about them until we can confidently discern their motives the better."

Buttercup stood up and smoothed out her knee length black shorts. They had a nasty habit of catching on the ripped up leggings she wore underneath them.

"So what am I gonna tell them? Hey guys, Blossom wants to change all our plans on a whim so come on!" She flashed an overly cheerful expression before dropping it a second later to quirk an eyebrow.

Thankfully Blossom was still too busy examining the map to notice Buttercup's attitude.

"Just tell them that Bubbles noticed an increased number of patrols from Mojo and that there are more Collectors scouting the streets. That should be enough to satisfy them." The redhead responded absently.

Buttercup gave Blossom an unnoticed nod before walking out the door. She did whisper a small 'glad you got back safe' to Bubbles before she left. It was a surprisingly nice gesture coming from Buttercup and a rare one. It helped take out the sting from their earlier argument.

Once the clunk of Buttercup's hiking boots faded away Blossom turned away from the map and gave Bubbles a soft look.

"Are you okay? Really?" Bubbles opened her mouth but paused before snapping it shut with a frown.

Was she okay? It had been a kind of traumatic day. What with the dead people and the multiple Collectors, and of course Boomer. Then there was the fact that her sisters didn't really believe her about the way Boomer acted. Could it all have been an act? It didn't feel like one, but Bubbles knew she had a blind spot when it came to believing in the best about people.

She left out a long sigh. It was all probably wishful thinking on her part. Most people did change as years passed, but some didn't. He could still be entirely evil and playing her for a fool. It would be something that the Boomer she used to know would do.

Her sisters were right, it was most likely was a trap. Sometimes she hated how trusting she was. You'd think after years of fighting that would have been lost along the way, but nope. It was still there.

An arm wrapped around her shoulder and broke Bubbles from her inner debate. She looked up and locked gazes with her sister's concerned pink eyes. Bubbles pushed back her thoughts and forced a very convincing smile onto her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired is all." She used her most chipper voice in hopes that Blossom wouldn't catch her fib.

It didn't work.

The redhead arched an eyebrow at her causing Bubbles to sigh. How did she always know? Stupid older sister intuition.

"Okay. I'm still having a hard time believing Boomer's still the same evil person he was back then, that it was all an elaborate setup. You didn't see him Blossom. He was so different. Quiet. Calm. I couldn't even recognize him until he took of that hat." Bubbles sent her sister an imploring look. "I know that I'm too trusting but I really do believe he's changed."

"Bubbles…sometimes things aren't always as they seem." Blossom grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and turned to face her straight on.

"I know that! It's like my brain can see exactly where you and Buttercup are coming from. It really does look like a trap and it very well might be, but it's like my heart is saying the total opposite." She grabbed at her pigtails and gave them a frustrated tug.

"What should I do?" She mumbled.

"Well…" Blossom tilted her head to catch Bubbles eyes.

"First you should get some sleep because you look ready to drop. Second, you should let me finish my sentences." The blonde gave her sister a sheepish smile. Blossom smirked and shook her head softly.

"As I was saying…Sometimes things aren't always as they seem. It could be that this is a trap and we need to prepare for it. On the other hand, it could very well be an innocent encounter and he could have nothing to do with Mojo. The problem is, we don't have enough information to know which one is true. That's why we have to play it safe. Promise me you'll try and avoid contact with him if run into each other again? Please?" Bubbles gave her a tired nod.

"I promise…thanks Blossom." She pulled her into a hug.

"I'm your older sister, it's what I do." Blossom replied as she hugged her back. "I'm glad you got back safely. Now go to your quarters and get some sleep. That's an order." She sent the blonde a mock glare as she pulled away from the hug.

Bubbles snapped a salute and managed a somewhat serious face…before bursting out into giggles.

"Yes Ma'am! Right away General!" Blossom rolled her eyes at the nickname.

"You really shouldn't call me that, if any of the REAL generals found out heads would roll."

Bubbles only stuck out her tongue and made for the door.

"Tch. Childish."

"That's what I'm here for." She offered Blossom an impish grin and a small wave before walking out. Now…it was finally time for some well deserved rest. Thank the Maker!

* * *

**A/N: And there is chapter five! I want to say a special thanks to all the readers who have made it this far. I know things are progressing slowly but that's how I like my stories. Character development and plot progression are both things that should take time to happen. ****I have a lot planned out for this story and things will start happening soon! That I promise you!**

**Next Chapter we get the flip side of Bubbles encounter with the Blue Ruff and we introduce some more characters! Yay! Everybody loves more characters!**

**As always, if you liked what you read feel free to drop a review. I wouldn't mind hearing what people think of the story so far. Comments, Questions, Critiques, whatever you want say. Thanks and I'll see you guys next Saturday!**


	6. Chapter 6 - A Blue Disposition

**Chapter 6 – A Blue Disposition**

Boomer released a grateful sigh as he climbed the final flight of stairs. Two hours or so had passed since his ordeal with the Collectors and one Bubbles Utonium, but now home was in sight and his bed was calling out to him. A long sleep would do him some good, his arm was aching something fierce and his eyes fluttered in a pitiful attempt to stay open.

'Only a couple more stairs.' Boomer mentally coached himself. He hadn't been this worn out in a while and these damn stairs had never seemed so long.

The apartment him and his brothers shared was located on the ninth floor of a fairly nice looking skyscraper. The damage it had endured was minimal and the rooms were spacious. Best yet, it was off the main roads which was extremely welcome when you were trying to stay hidden. Boomer liked the apartment well enough, normally the nine flights weren't much of a nuisance, but after a day spent running for his life these stupid stairs might just be the death of him.

Why couldn't they have chosen a place on the second floor? Or the third? Hell, even the fifth would have been okay! But nooo they had to live high enough to have a good vantage point and avoid the random sweeps by Simian patrols.

Bullshit.

Brick could spout out about caution all he wanted but in the end Boomer was convinced he just liked torturing his brothers and making them work harder. He was the most sadistic one of the three of them after all. Or was the Butch?

Boomer turned the corner and wearily glared at the remaining twelve steps before trudging up them.

It was a tough call between the two of them. Boomer would classify them at the same level of sadism but each had a distinctly different style. Whereas Butch would go all out and destroy anything in an overly explosive manner; Brick would take his time and make his opponents suffer before ending them. One thing was for certain, Brick was definitely the scarier of the two. Boomer thought his blood red eyes gave him an unfair advantage.

Climbing the last of the stairs, Boomer hitched up his small bag full of supplies and shook his head. He really needed to stop letting his mind wander so much. Brick was getting on his case about daydreaming enough as it was.

A shove against the apartment door caused it to swing inwards. Unfortunately, he pushed a little too hard and it rebounded off the wall, coming back to smack him right in the face. He let out a grunt. Perfect, not only was his arm injured but now he had a bruised nose too.

Thankfully it wasn't broken, that would have been pitiful.

A cruel laugh from the couch revealed the location of one of his older brothers. Boomer glanced over at him while holding his nose. Forest green eyes crinkled in mirth and a cocky grin greeted him.

"Losing a fight with a door…that's just sad." The brunette laughed again, never one to pass up a chance to make fun of his younger brother.

Yes, Butch Jojo hadn't changed much over the past ten years. He was still loud, crude, and aggressive; especially when it came to fighting. Actually, aggressive wasn't quite the right word when fighting was involved, more like borderline psychotic. The long scar that ran from his right ear to his collar bone and his slightly crooked nose were proof enough of that. No one could say he didn't put his all into a fight.

Boomer refused to rise up to his brother's taunting, instead he kicked the door closed behind him and walked towards the dining room table which sat a few feet behind the couch. Butch turned and hung over the back of said couch with a malevolent grin.

"Where have you been Little Boy Blue? Brick said to be back before mid-afternoon. He went out looking for you and boy, did he look pissed." Butch commented while he fiddled with the straps hanging off his high collared, black vest. The two knives that usually hung there were conspicuously absent. Brick must have taken them away….again.

"Surprise, surprise. Brick's never happy." Was the only thing Boomer muttered in response as he began empting his bag of supplies onto the table top.

"Hey, didn't you have a different hoodie on when you left?"

Boomer blinked in shock and stopped sorting. It was true he had ditched the blood soaked hoodie on the way home to avoid leaving an accidental trail. He had found another on his way -, a deep blue one with some obnoxious white lettering on the back. Not the best replacement, but it did cover up his blood stained shirt.

The surprising part was that Butch noticed it at all. Sure he could focus and be observant….when he wanted too. The hard part was getting him to care enough to do so. Boomer decided that he'd respond to his brother's question in his usual manner.

He said nothing.

After a few seconds of silence Boomer could feel his brother's glare drilling into the back of his head. Butch hated being ignored, which was why Boomer did it so often. It was one of the only successful ways he could fight back against his physically larger brother. Butch was broad shouldered and all muscle, and of course he used that to his advantage as much as possible. As a result, Boomer had found other subtler ways to get under his skin.

"Tch, whatever." The brunette muttered as he turned back to the coffee table and resumed whatever activity he was so intently working on before the blonde had entered. Boomer finished setting out the last of the supplies and walked towards his room, peeking over his brother's shoulder as he went.

Butch was hunched over his beloved cricket bat, trying to re-wrap the tape that held the leather handle together. After years of use and abuse, the bat looked ready to break at any moment. It was practically falling apart, but Butch swore it was a good as new. It was like his lucky charm or something.

He had tried to use the dark green bandana that was usually tied around his arm to polish it once. Yeah, it didn't work to well. You can't really polish something without actual polish. He could be such an idiot sometimes…not that he had told him that to his face. Boomer liked his features where they were.

The only thing Butch took better care of were a pair of brass knuckles he kept in a side pocket of his black cargo pants. They were his favorite weapon even if he didn't get to use them as often as he would have liked.

Brass knuckles were only ideal in very specific situations, mostly for when your opponent didn't have a gun aimed for your chest. They didn't run into much of those situations. He had even given them names, Pain and Agony. Boomer thought Compulsive and Hot Headed would have been more appropriate, but he knew better than to actually suggest that out loud.

Boomer shook his head lightly and turned back towards the hallway, barely avoiding tripping over his brother's discard black hiking boots left in the middle of the entry way. The blonde kicked them to the side with a small glare; at least he had cleaned the mud off them this time. Somehow it was Boomer who was always delegated the cleaning duties.

He hated being the little brother.

"Hope you have a good excuse for Brick when he gets home!" Butch hollered after him. The blonde rolled his eyes and shut the door to his room.

Finally! With a sigh, he tossed his bag in a random corner and pulled off his new hoodie. That too was thrown in another random pile. The blood stained shirt required a bit more finesse to take off. He ended up taking one of his knives to the sleeve and cut it from the bandage wrapped around his arm. The entire left arm of the shirt had turned a bluish brown color, destroying the plaid pattern.

Boomer let out a disappointed sigh and rolled the ruined shirt into a ball. He had like that shirt. It wasn't too big of a loss; he had an extra buried in the mess that was his room…somewhere. What saddened him more was the loss of his favorite grey hoodie; good ones like that were hard to come by.

Most were covered in bright graphics and shouted 'HERE I AM! COME KILL ME!' That was not something you wanted when you were trying to hide from a patrol. Neutral colored grey ones were the best for scavenging in. And it had been cozy, amazingly so.

'I'll just have to be on the lookout for a new one next time I go out.' He thought to himself as he collapsed onto his bed, his wonderful, comfy bed. That was one of the best things about living in an abandoned city; there were plenty of choice pickings left behind. Living in an apartment complex left a lot of beds to choose from and Boomer had spent hours finding the best one.

A yawn cracked his jaw as the day's events started replaying in his mind. It had been one of the most bizarre and eventful days he'd had in a long time. How was he going to tell Brick about it? He honestly had no clue how the redhead was going to react to news that a Powerpuff was still alive. He could take it calmly or he could blow up. Boomer hoped it was first option. The Powerpuffs had always been a trigger for the Red Ruff.

Bubbles Utonium…the blue Powerpuff Girl; back from the dead after ten years. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that yet. He hadn't exactly hated her in his childhood. She had always been so friendly and cheerful; it was hard to dislike someone like that. It was weird though, the blonde wasn't like how he remembered her.

She had changed. Her looks, of course, had changed, but it was her demeanor that had surprised him. He had seen no signs of the grin that she had always sported as a child. The closest thing to it had been that pathetic looking half smile she gave when she thanked him. It couldn't even be called a smile really, more like a grimace. It was unusual to see on her face.

The exuberance about life that she always had was gone now too; hidden behind cautious, wary eyes. He hadn't really expected her to remain the same overly perky person, but to see it vanish completely was…odd and in a way slightly disappointing.

At least she had out grown that crying stage. He thanked his lucky stars for that small miracle; running away from Collectors with a sobbing woman hanging onto him would have been disastrous.

Bubbles had actually handled herself well today. She hadn't really hindered him as much as he would have thought. Well, not counting the part where she stopped him just before Mojo's lab. That hadn't made him too happy.

Why had she stopped him then anyway? She could have questioned him in the mall, but no she had to wait for the most inopportune moment and then put her foot down. It hadn't cost them their lives but it could have.

Boomer suppressed a frown; getting upset over it was too much of an effort right now. He snuggled deeper into his bed and let out another yawn.

The most unbelievable thing of the entire situation is that she didn't know who he was until he took off his beanie. I mean, he was supposed to be incognito and not easily recognized, but come on! He had known it was her immediately! It was hard to forget bright eyes that specific shade of blue, not that he had made a point to look at them a lot back in the day or anything; they just left an imprint on his brain was all.

He supposed he should be thankful for the Collector showing up when it did. He was still debating with himself whether to follow the Puff or not when he had heard the crashing and thus started the whole eventful afternoon. The chase and wait had given him time to study the blonde girl. If she was that different, then how much had her sisters changed as well? Or were they even still alive? Was that why she was different? Mmm?

Some questions were better left for Brick, and he'd let him handle them after his nap. Speaking of naps, Boomer let out one last yawn before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**BAM!**

The loud bang shot through his room and ripped Boomer abruptly from his peaceful slumber. Jumping almost a foot in the air, he accidentally threw himself clear off his bed and straight to the floor. A hiss of pain escaped through gritted teeth as he clutched the back of his head and tried to process what was going on.

A quick glance over his bed showed him the source the disturbance. Blocking the doorway with crossed arms and a heavy frown stood the last of the Rowdyruff boys and the self-proclaimed leader, Brick Jojo.

Twin blood red eyes glared down at him with no readable emotion; that was the thing about Brick, he rarely showed any emotion. He was mostly stuck in a state of permanent disapproval of anything and everything. As if his scowl wasn't severe enough, the scar running through his lip down to his chin made it even fiercer.

He painted the ultimate picture of disapproving older brother in his relatively nice black jeans and deep red, crisp button up shirt. How he kept it so neatly pressed, Boomer had never found out and sure as hell wasn't going to ask. That would give Butch another thing to add to his list of crap to make fun of Boomer about. It would probably remain a mystery forever.

One would normally think that adding a beat up old red baseball cap to ones ensemble would take away from their authoritative appearance. Not Brick. He had worn that cap since day he was created. Boomer hadn't ever seen him without it, he was pretty sure Brick slept with it on.

The dull red of the cap only made his vibrant red hair stand out even more. The long red locks were kept tied back at the nape of his neck and hung in a little tail down his shoulders. Butch had made fun of it once when they were younger…he hadn't been able to chew for two days afterwards, and that was WITH super healing.

Speaking of his brutish middle brother, there he was looking over Brick's shoulders with a smirk; no doubt waiting for the show to begin. Butch always enjoyed it when someone other than himself got reamed.

Boomer pushed himself to his feet and quietly took a seat on his bed. It was always best to let Brick start a conversation when he had that look on his face.

"Why were you home so late?" He asked in a calm voice.

How to respond? Hmmm? Boomer offered him a shrug and began picking at a snag in his bed cover.

"Ran into some trouble." Telling the simple truth was usually a good way to start things off.

"I can see that, what happened to your arm?" Brick asked with a deadpanned curiosity, behind him Butch quirked an eyebrow. Brick had yet to move from his position in the doorway which forced the brunette to stand on his tip toes to get a better look.

"Wait, when'd you get injured?" Butch asked. Brick sent a glare towards him and he promptly shut his mouth. Boomer took an unobtrusive breath.

"Collector harpoon." As soon as the word Collector left his mouth, Brick's glare somehow deepened.

"You know better than to get caught by a Collector." There was a hint of disapproval mixed with suspicion coating his voice. It made Boomer feel like a kid that hit a baseball through someone's window and now he was facing judgment. Brick was good at that.

"It wasn't my fault." Boomer muttered as he avoided looking at his brother's piercing eyes. He had never noticed the small patterns stitched into his comforter before and my, were they suddenly interesting.

"So it was the Collector's fault?" Butch snickered at Brick's deadpan sarcasm as Boomer bowed his head lower.

"No…it was a girl's fault." Instantly, Butch stopped laughing and Brick uncrossed his arms.

"Girl? What girl? Where? When?" Boomer quit picking at his bed and finally looked up at his brothers. Here it comes.

"Bubbles Utonium, at the mall, about five hours ago I guess." It was mildly amusing to see the scowl slide right off Brick's face as his eyes widened. Moments where he was caught off guard were to be relished, it didn't happen often.

Butch shoved Brick into the room and walked up to the blonde.

"Bubbles Utonium, as in the Powerpuff Girl?! You ran into her?" Boomer merely nodded at the question before Butch cuffed him upside the head.

"And you're just now telling me? What, you couldn't have mentioned that when you got home?! Dumbass!" He raised his hand to smack him again but was stopped by Brick's voice.

"Butch. Enough." The brunette dropped his hand with a huff and took a step back, all while glaring at his younger brother. Brick sent a firm glare in Butch's direction before focusing his attention on Boomer once again.

"Details, now." Boomer needed no further prompting and told the two about his adventure with the Blue Powerpuff in as few words as possible. By the end of it, Butch's scowl had deepened and he had his fists clenched tight. Brick, however, wasn't frowning at all. He had a rather thoughtful look on his face actually.

"You saved her from a Collector?"

Boomer raised three fingers.

"Three Collectors? Hmmm. Did you follow her or see which way she was headed?"

Boomer shook his head.

"Did she mention her sisters at all? Or what she was doing out there in the first place?"

"She looked to be scavenging, had a backpack full of clothes and food. She didn't say anything about her sisters though. We didn't exactly talk much."

Brick nodded and began to absentmindedly run his thumb over the scar on his chin. It was a habit he had developed when he was thinking deeply.

Silence ate up the room as the two brothers waited for their leader to say something. First rule of the Rowdyruff Boys, you don't interrupt Brick when he's thinking.

Boomer began picking at the snag in his cover again while Butch drummed his gloved fingers on his crossed arms. That got boring for the Green Ruff pretty quickly and he switch to fiddling with the straps hanging from his black belt where his cricket bat usually hung. After a minute, that too got boring so he started drumming his heel on the floor. Butch was never very good at standing still

It took several minutes, but Brick finally snapped out of his inner thoughts and addressed his brothers.

"We know that one Powerpuff Girl is alive and back in Townsville; what's left of it anyway. Knowing those girls though, where one is the other two aren't far behind. They could be just the edge we need."

"Whadda mean just the edge we need?" Brick glowered at Butch for his interruption but the middle Ruff shrugged it off.

"I mean, that we can use them to our advantage. As much as I hate to admit it, we haven't been making very good progress on putting that monkey back into his proper place. But with the girls here…that could change."

"How?" Boomer spoke up. How would having three powerless girls here help them overthrow the monkey king? Boomer didn't see any benefits.

"That'll wait for later. For now, if either of you run into the blue annoyance or any of her sisters you are to report it as soon as you get back here. Understood?" Both younger brothers nodded at the command.

"I want you guys to try and get as much information out of them as possible. Are they working alone? Do they have a plan of action? Do they have any powers left at all? You are to tell me anything that they say."

Butch scoffed and uncrossed his arms."And just how are we going to do that? Last time I met up with Buttercup we weren't exactly on good terms, not a lot of room for chit chat. Hell, she might not even be alive."

"I don't think she'd be that easy to kill, besides that was over ten years ago Butch. If Boomer says the bubbly one has changed, maybe she has too. Although if she's anything like you that's too much to hope for." Butch scowled at him but Brick, like always, remained completely unfazed. He turned back to Boomer.

"Make sure to get that arm cleaned before you go to bed. The last thing I need is for you to get gangrene. Come on Butch." Brick walked out to the room and as Butch followed he smacked Boomer upside the head once more. Apparently he was still a little pissed off at him, which was pretty normal for Butch.

As soon as the door to his room shut, Boomer let out a sigh of relief. That had went a lot better than he thought it would. The only violence had come from Butch, and it wasn't that surprising. Knowing Brick, he would be staying up all night coming up with a plan on how to get in contact with Bubbles or one of her sisters. If her sisters were even alive that was. He, like Butch, had some doubts about that.

He had never seen the three sisters apart. Bubbles on her own in a dead city, it just didn't seem right. She hadn't made any mention of them when she spoke to him either. He probably should have tried harder to get information out of her instead of sitting and staring at the floor. Sometimes he cursed his quiet nature, but that couldn't be change so why bother?

His arm throbbed painfully, reminding him that it still needed to be attended too. The bandages Bubbles had put on were soaked through and blood was starting to leak from it. Boomer hauled himself to his feet and quietly slid out from his room.

As he walked down the hallway to the bathroom he could hear Butch's heated voice echo from the kitchen. Knowing the brunette he would probably bitch the whole night about the girls. And Brick would promptly ignore him.

Boomer was glad he had an excuse to go to bed early. When Butch was in one of his ranting moods, he didn't stop. Not for a long time.

Butch's voice was cut off as Boomer closed the door to the bathroom and began digging through the cabinets. There wasn't much in there and after all the fights they had been in with Simian patrols everything was neatly organized and easy to find. He pulled out one of the rolls of bandages and a bottle of disinfectant and set both on the counter. Now was the fun part…yay.

He slowly unwrapped the red bandage around his arm and winced at the sight that greeted him. The entirety of his upper arm, from the top of his shoulder to his elbow, was a sick yellowish color with patches of red and purples interspersed across it. The chunk of skin that had been ripped away was already forming scabs along the edges, but the majority of the wound still glistened with fresh blood and oozed plasma. If he was the squeamish sort, he would have gagged at the sight. Thankfully…he wasn't.

Now that the wound was exposed and opened to the air, the pain hit him full force and caused him to grit his teeth. With a hiss, he grabbed a small towel and bit down on it. This next part was going to hurt the worst.

He grabbed the bottle of disinfectant and deftly unscrewed the cap one handed before dousing his injury. A cry of pain welled up in his throat, but thankfully the towel muffled it to a high pitched groan. He would never live it down if either of his brothers heard him being weak.

After taking a minute to recover he wrapped the wound up again and looked at the mirror. Tentatively, he ran his fingers along the trench that now ran across the outside of his bicep. That was going to leave a gnarly scar, one that even Butch would be proud of.

He turned off the light and exited the bathroom. Hopefully his remnant healing factor would kick in soon and dampen the pain, because it hurt like a mother! All he had wanted today was a new baseball bat, what had he done to deserve this?

Wait, it was probably better not to ask that question.

Boomer kicked his door shut and threw himself down on the bed. His arm hurt ten times worse than it had when he'd gotten home but he tried his best to block out the ache and instead focused on regulating his breathing.

It was a trick he had picked up from watching kung fu movies when he was young. At first it seemed like a load of shit, but after trying it out a couple of times he was surprised to find it actually worked. Blocking out the pain became easier when you took your mind off it and directed your whole attention elsewhere.

His thoughts wandered aimlessly as the exhausting day finally took its toll and allowed him to drift off to sweet sleep within minutes.

* * *

**A/N: All right! Another chapter down! Yeah, it didn't have a lot of action but it was mostly an introduction chapter, plus we got to see a different point of view besides Bubbles. That will be happening more now that all of our main players have been introduced. What sort of shenanigans with they get into? Find out next Saturday!**

**Next Chapter: Brick has a plan! And surprise, surprise...Butch doesn't like it.**

**As always, if you enjoyed what you read drop a review! Also don't be afraid to favorite or follow this story! Oh, and a big thanks to my first reviewer! I appreciate the input!**

**Okay you guys, have a good week and I'll see you next Saturday for Misconceptions Chapter 7: The Dawning of a Plan.**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Dawning of a Plan

Chapter 7 – The Dawning of a Plan

It was still early dawn as Brick came up to his apartment building. The sun had yet to fully rise and fog covered the ground. It was the perfect weather for an early morning jog.

It had become something of a habit for him over the past couple of years; a time all to himself to organize his thoughts and plan for the rest of day, usually a raid on one of Mojo's convoys or the like. There was also the opportunity to scout along the way. It wasn't just coincidence that his jogging route ran past some well known Simian supply routes.

There hadn't been any activity today but that was fine with him. He had other thoughts occupying his time this morning, thoughts that centered around three certain females.

Ten years…that was an awful long time to disappear, an especially long time with Mojo Jojo in charge of the world. What had those Puffs been doing? Recovering? Fighting? Hiding? All of the above? Were they working alone or was there a group helping them?

There were so many questions he had and not enough answers. It frustrated him to no end, his lack of information. He and his brothers had been stuck in the ruins of Old Townsville so long it was easy to forget the outside world even existed at all. There was never any information about what happened outside. Did Mojo even control the entire world?

These were answers he desperately needed and once again it came down to the Powerpuff Girls. They had to know what was going on. There was no way they had been living in Old Townsville as long as the Rowdyruff Boys, they would have run into each other a lot sooner than now. They had to have just come back.

He climbed the last set of stairs and entered the apartment, not really bothering to be quiet. His brothers slept like the dead, and even if they did wake up; so what? About time they got their asses up at a decent hour in the morning.

He slipped off his black tennis shoes and leather jacket before walking into the kitchen. Digging through the cabinets revealed nothing new in the food department. Normal breakfast it was then. Brick took a seat on the couch after grabbing a somewhat stale granola bar.

He chewed mechanically as he went over the plan he had thought of the night before. Everything had to be perfect, this could be his only chance and he didn't want to waste it.

The plan consisted of four goals. First, make contact with the Powerpuff Girls. Any one of them would do but he preferred talking to Blossom. Despite his brother's doubts about the other two girls being alive, Brick knew they were. If Bubbles had survived then her sisters had to have also. It was only logical, Bubbles was the weakest out of the three. She wouldn't survive a week without the other two watching out for her.

Yes, Blossom would be the best to meet up with if he had his way. She was at least intelligent enough to listen to what he had to say and considered it. Buttercup would be the worst. That girl thought with her fists first and with her brain after the fact; imagining that meeting was enough to make a frown appear on his face.

That lead to the second goal, once he achieved a meeting with one of them, he had to gain their trust enough to tell him the information he needed to know….Okay, the trust part was rather unrealistic, scratch that out, but he needed to get information one way or another. He didn't want to resort to violence to get it, not that he was opposed to it, but it would make goal three rather hard to attain.

Goal three being tell the girls his plan and get them to agree to help him. Brick scowled at his food bar, even saying it silently in his own mind left a bad taste in his mouth. Help from the Powerpuff Girls, ech. It galled him to admit it, but he needed their aid to put an end to Mojo.

He and his brothers had barely been making dents in the primate's armor by themselves, but with the six of them…that might be enough to turn the tides in his favor. Bigger raids, more damage, the possibilities were wide open. As much as he loathed his long time arch rivals, his hatred of that accursed monkey was greater. He could put aside the rivalry for a while to take out the scum of the earth. The enemy of my enemy is my friend after all.

The last goal of his master plan? Take down Mojo Jojo once and for all. Not for control of the world, nor wealth or power. No, his motives were simple.

Pure revenge.

That monkey had been building up bad karma for years now and he thought it was high time for all of it to come back and bite him in the ass. Brick let out a cold chuckle as he crinkled up his food wrapper and threw it out the window.

Oh yes, how sweet it would be to see that stupid chimp's face as he ended his abysmal existence. It was something he dreamed of for years and now, there finally seemed to be a way to do it. It all relied on the Powerpuff Girls, how ironic.

The sun crested the skyline and light now poured in through the window. He hadn't realized how long he had sat on the couch, lost in his own thoughts. He was becoming as bad as Boomer. Brick rolled his eyes at the thought.

No one could be as bad as Boomer, that boy spent more time daydreaming that he did functioning in the real world. It was incredibly annoying but at least he got his jobs done. Boomer's attention span was something to correct at a later date however.

It would be another two hours until either one of his brothers woke up and joined the land of the living. He could be using this time do something productive, like setting up possible scouting routes to locate the Girls.

After all, they weren't going to find them by randomly running around. There had to be a system in place, especially for Butch. The dumbass would probably search the same area three times and not even realize it.

It wasn't that he was directionally challenged; it was the fact that he was grossly incompetent when it came to following orders if they weren't laid out in full detail for him. If Brick gave him free reign the idiot would probably take on the first Simian patrol he found and completely forget about the girls. That was something the redhead did not need right now.

Brick turned from the window and walked over to the cabinet that sat behind the dining room table. Opening it up revealed a plethora of paper inside. There were hundreds of sheets neatly stacked on the bottom two rows with a stack of larger rolled up sheets sitting on top. He sifted through the rolled up papers before pulling out the biggest one and closing the cabinet door.

Clearing a space on the table, he smoothed out the map on top of it. It was a bit crinkled and there was a slight bit of water damage on one side, but it showed almost all of Old Townsville, New Townsville, and the Divide and that made it invaluable.

When Mojo Jojo had taken over Townsville years ago and turned it into a ruined husk, a new city had been built some fifteen miles to the west. The monkey had called it New Townsville and made it his capital city, a shining example of the new era he would usher in. An era of prosperity and wealth.

Hah!

Brick had been to New Townsville a few times. It was as awe inspiring as the primate claimed and utterly depressing at the same time.

Opulent sky scrapers dominated the skyline; their twisting architecture was like nothing Brick had ever seen before. Their elegant lines flowed neatly together and made them look more like artwork than office structures. Throughout the hundreds of buildings laid automated transport lines, some zoomed hundreds of feet in the air while others crisscrossed the ground and paused at every corner. The whole city was nearly robotic. The buildings were made of shining metal and the air had a clean sterile feel. It was hard to believe humans lived there at all, but they did. Millions of them.

One could hardly call it living though. Humans were treated like cattle; everyone had their own standard living quarters, the same standard clothing, the same standard meal rations. They rode the public transportation to their assigned jobs the same time each day, every day.

They were as good as robots already. Brick remembered looking into their eyes and seeing the glazed look of defeat. They had given in and accepted their fate. Not even a spark of defiance was left. It was pathetic.

That was one of the reasons Brick hated humans, they were so easily cowed. The bravado they displayed always crumbled in the face of real trials and tribulations. They weren't worth the effort to save, which is why he wasn't doing this for them. It was all for revenge.

Unfortunately, whether he cared for the humans or not, they were tool in Mojo's hands and he used them to his advantage. The Simian army was mostly recruited from the people he controlled, both in New Townsville and other cities. Enlistment was mandatory, not that anyone really tried to put up a fight about being drafted.

When it was a choice between indentured servitude and indentured servitude with a gun, there wasn't much of a difference. A majority of the men recruited became soldiers in the Simian army while the women were sent to work in the labs and assembly lines in The Divide.

The Divide was an area ten miles long that stretch between Old Townsville and New Townsville. It was there that Mojo situated a number of his bases, labs, and outposts. It wouldn't do to have them marring his perfect city after all. They were close enough to respond should there ever be an attack but far enough away to keep prying eyes in the city from seeing what was going on. Out of sight, out of mind.

The Divide was no man's land; no one went in and came out again, except the Rowdyruff Boys of course. They had been making a name for themselves the last seven years by raiding the smaller outposts along the edge of The Divide and being a general pain the ass for the monkey emperor. While their efforts had made them public enemy number one, it did little to actually hurt the primate. That was about to change though.

Now, if Brick were Blossom, where would he choose to hide in the ruined city? It would have to be somewhere close enough to Mojo's bases to see what was happening but far enough away to avoid notice.

That could be any number of places… this was probably going to take the whole morning. Brick let out a sigh but stood up to grab a sheet of paper and a pen. There he sat, hunched over the map, working for the rest of the morning.

* * *

A yawn cracked Butch's jaw as he sat up in bed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. Ugh, morning already? Stupid sun, was five more minutes too much to ask? He dragged himself out of bed and grabbed one of his long sleeved olive colored shirts from the ground. Giving it a sniff he decided it wasn't too bad and shrugged it on.

He was probably going to have to do laundry soon. Correction, he was going to have to make Boomer do his laundry soon. The piles of filthy clothes were making it hard to walk to his door and even a messy guy had his limits.

A rumble coming from his stomach made Butch decide that bullying Boomer could wait until after breakfast however. Food always came first. He shoved open the door and made his way to the kitchen.

Man, bacon and eggs sounded so good right now. That was the first thing he was going to eat when Mojo got overthrown. Seriously, seven years of living off of granola bars and canned food was enough to drive him crazy. It was soooo boring and tasteless. Was it so much to ask for some fresh food? Mmm, fresh food, the thought alone was enough to induce drooling. Hell, even some toast with jam and peanut butter would be amazing.

Butch let out a disappointed sigh as he opened the cabinet and was greeted with the same supply of food bars and canned vegetables. Yep, bacon and eggs…maybe some hash browns. First thing.

Taking up a food bar, the brunette bit into his meager breakfast and finally took notice of his surroundings. He had a strict no observance rule before breakfast.

Situated at the dining room table was Brick, hunched over that large map of Townsville they had and scribbling notes like mad on an extra sheet of paper. There were several filled pages stacked neatly to his right, probably plans for the next ambush or something. Boomer was at the table too, quietly eating his breakfast while watching Brick.

Having nothing better to do, Butch joined them and ate his breakfast as well. There they all sat in silence, the only sound being the crunching of their granola bars and Brick's writing. Both younger brothers knew better than to interrupt their leader when he was in the 'zone'. He'd snap out of it soon enough.

Minutes passed by and soon Butch was propping his head up with his hand wondering if it would be a good idea to go back to bed. Hell, there was no wondering at all, more sleep sounded like a stellar idea. Who knew when Brick would be done with whatever he was doing and decide to clue his brothers in.

That was one of Butch's biggest pet peeves about his older brother. He never told them anything. Brick always came up with the plan and kept 'em to himself until the last possible moment. It was like he thought they were too stupid to add any useful input.

Now, Butch could understand that when it came to Boomer, but himself? Hah! See if he'd help out the next time Brick got his stuck up ass into trouble. Brick might be the brains of the group but when it came to the actual fighting everyone knew who ruled supreme in that area.

A click caused Butch to open his eyes and look towards the redhead. Brick had finally set his pen down and stacked the last written sheet neatly onto the nearby pile. He looked up and blinked, as if just noticing their presence for the first time; which was probably the truth of it, when he zoned out he really zoned out.

Brick cleared his throat and gather the papers in front of him. "Good, you're both up."

Butch mentally rolled his eyes. 'Way to state the obvious genius.'

"While you two have been sleeping the morning away-"

"It's only like 9:30!"

Brick ignored his brother's outburst and continued on. This time Butch did roll his eyes, thankfully Brick was sorting through his papers and didn't see the act.

"I've been drawing up scouting routes that are situated in the areas with the highest probability of running into the Powerpuff Girls. If we focus on running these routes and set aside our ambushes, we might be able to find them within a week, two weeks tops."

"What about scavenging?" Boomer spoke up for the first time that morning. Huh, a new record. It was usually another hour before the blonde made a peep. Of course, when it came to scavenging Boomer never hesitated to speak out. That was all he ever really talked about, when he talked at all that was.

Butch thought he liked the activity so much only because that meant he could go out exploring and not have to fight against Simian troops. He could handle himself in a fight well enough, he did make a lot of errors in Butch's humble opinion, but for some reason he always seemed reluctant to enter the fray.

Tsch, what a baby. You'd think he would have outgrown that phase by now. Butch kept his inner thoughts to himself and waited for Brick to answer the blonde.

"We'll still conduct scavenging missions, they will only happen once or twice a week though. I think we've stockpiled enough supplies to last us the next two weeks relatively easily. The more time we spend searching for the girls, the better. However, if we do happen to find out a Simian food transport is making a run close by we'll ambush it of course. That's an opportunity we can't really pass up. For now though, our main focus is locating those girls."

"If they're even alive you mean." Butch intervened. "How do you know that they are? It's been ten years, anything could have happened. Do you think they'd really let Mojo Jojo rule over Townsville if they could stop him?"

"They're alive, if Bubbles is then so are the other two. Besides, they can't stop him, not on their own."

There was a quiet conviction in the redhead's voice that Butch was surprised to hear. Brick speaking with any emotion at all was something he hadn't heard in a long time. Well, any emotion other than annoyance that was. That coated his voice quite often when conversing with his brothers.

Butch sat back and thought it over. He could continue arguing and push for Brick to forget this whole crazy plan of his, but all that would do for him was piss off Brick. And that in turn, would end up with Butch becoming pissed. Brick would still make him do the stupid ass scouting anyway. Plus it was still early in the morning and Butch wasn't quite awake enough to put up a resistance. That left only one option.

The brunette let out a long suffering sigh. "Fine, where do we start?"

Might as well give in and go along with the plan, it would be the least pain in the ass option. The quicker they got this stupid search over, the faster they could get back to doing the important stuff; like ambushing Mojo's supply trucks and troop transports.

Butch looked over at Boomer and saw the blonde shooting him an amazed look. Brick too, blinked in shock once before shaking himself. Yeah, yeah, Butch agreeing to something he was against without a fight? It didn't happen often, but when the alternatives were shitty what else was there to do?

The attention changed from the Green ruff towards Brick as he shoved the map into the center of the table. He picked up a couple papers and handed them to Boomer before handing some others towards Butch.

"Okay, here's a list of streets that you guys are going to be scouting. I've narrowed down the area…" Brick continued to explain his strategy and pointed out their routes on the map for the rest of the morning. It was ambitious, but then again it wasn't like they had much else to do. If the Powerpuffs were still alive, they wouldn't remain hidden for long.

* * *

**Yeah, this chapters a little short but its more of a set up chapter than anything else. Plus it gives us a little insight into the Ruff's everyday lives. **

**Next Chapter: Action! Butch runs into a little more than he bargained for on a boring scouting mission.**

**If you liked what you read, please feel free to drop a review. I would enjoy any sort of insight or comment on what you guys think. See you next Saturday!**


	8. Chapter 8 – I Do What I Want

Chapter 8 – I Do What I Want

The sun was inching past its noon day position as Butch strolled leisurely down an abandoned street. There was no movement; no sound besides his footsteps hitting the pavement greeted him.

Nothing…again.

A couple of days had passed since Brick initiated his amazing plan to find the Powerpuff Girls. Yeah…it was real amazing alright, except it hadn't worked. Butch must have covered at least half the city and found no signs of the Puffs!

Okay, it might have been closers to a quarter or one eighth of the city, but still! What a waste of time!

"Dumbass Brick and his shitty plans. We could be dong real work, but NO! Have to chase after those stupid girls." Butch grumbled as he kicked a stray can down the street.

It flew several meters before clattering to the ground and echoing down the dead street. Butch was half hoping that the noise would attract some Simian troops or something. Hell, he'd even go for a Collector right now! Anything would be better than this.

After days of searching and coming up empty handed he was beginning to lose his patience, he was soooooo bored! Being bored pissed him off, so did looking for people whom he was still convinced were dead.

With the three brothers putting all their effort into searching you'd think they would have found something by now. Nope. Zilch. Zero. Nada. There was no trace of anybody beside the stray refugee found dead in the street. That was nothing new. Refugees from New Townsville tried to escape all the time, they never made it very far.

Butch heaved a sigh.

The longer this went on, the more irritable Brick was getting. Every day they returned with nothing new to report only added to his ire. While it was certainly amusing to see Brick lose his perpetual cool, it also meant that the redhead took out his frustrations on his younger brothers, usually in the form of nagging.

If there was one thing Butch hated more than being bored, it was being nagged. And boy was Brick good at it.

Butch's run today was turning out with same results as all the others, not a single sign of any Powerpuff. It was because of this that Butch was understandably taking his time to get back to the apartment. He might be a little late, but Brick was going to nag him anyway, might as well make the most of it.

He caught up to the can and kicked it once again; it tumbled several meters before rolling to a stop, just like before. He could remember playing kick the can with his brothers when they were younger, seven or eight maybe.

Except back then when they kicked that blasted can it flew across the entire city, usually through several buildings. That thought briefly caused a smirk to form on his lips. That smirk quickly transformed into a frown as he realized how much had changed since then.

The can certainly didn't fly that far now, but maybe….

Just maybe…

Taking a running start, Butch viciously kicked it as hard as he could. It flew farther than before, an extra block or so but it didn't fly across the city or through any buildings. He growled at the harmless cylinder of tin and walked past it with a glare.

Fucking can. It just served as another reminder of the mess they were in and their lack of power to do anything about it.

If only they had their powers back, to be able to fly again or knock down a wall without any real effort! Butch had never realized how amazing it had been…until he lost it. Being a regular human sucked balls.

Well, not quite a regular human, but still, it sucked pretty hard. _And_, if they had their powers then they wouldn't have to go on this wild goose chase trying to find those girls. They could fly right up to Mojo and beat the primate within an inch of his life, cut all the sneaking around crap and go at it.

Everything thing lately seemed to remind him of his helplessness, even a stupid game of kick the can. After ten years you'd think he'd have gotten over it or something, but he found that it still bugged the crap out of him. He would even go as far as saying it upset him. Greatly.

Butch huffed irritably and shook himself. What was he doing? Deep introspective wasn't his style, he'd leave that to Boomer or Brick. Wallowing in self-pity was unbelievably sissy, what he needed was a good ol' fight to cheer himself up.

'Now, if I were a Simian patrol, where would I be?' He thought as he looked up and down the street.

Nothing was really different; it was still desolate and empty. Not even rats moved through the trash lining the sidewalks. If he remembered correctly, there was an intersection up ahead where two major streets met. Most Simian patrols used main thoroughfares to transport their supplies because it allowed them more room for troops and APCs to guard the convoy. If he picked one of those streets to run down, he was sure to run into something right?

Right.

Butch picked up his pace to a light jog and ran up towards the intersection to begin his search to alleviate his boredom.

The first half an hour of searching yielded little results and while Butch wasn't the most patient of people, he reigned himself in and kept at it. A panther didn't find its prey right away after all.

It was only a couple minutes later that he was rewarded for his efforts.

Butch ran out into an open intersection only to abruptly backtrack a second later. Ducking behind the corner of a nearby building, he cautiously poked his head out. There on the corner across the street was a group of average looking Simian troops.

They appeared to be taking a lunch break judging by the way they were lounging around, totally unaware of their surroundings. Perfect. Dumb and unobservant was just how Butch liked them. A feral smile spread across his lips.

This was going to be fun.

The patrol was ten men strong, but there were probably another two or three keeping a small perimeter nearby. This was exactly what he needed, a group easy enough to subdue with minimal effort but big enough to provide some sort of challenge. Another plus to this entire situation was that when he took them all down he got to collect all their weapons and ammunition. Getting bullets wasn't as easy as you'd think.

With an evil grin, Butch back away from the corner and sought out a route that would allow him to sneak behind the patrol. As he searched for a way to approach the group from behind he ran into one of the perimeter guards.

Both of them were caught by surprise at the abrupt meeting, but unfortunately for the guard Butch reacted first. The sentry was smashed back into a concrete wall and pinned two inches of the ground before he could make a sound. A minute of struggle passed by before the lack of oxygen finally got to him.

Butch let go of the guard's throat and watched him slide to the ground. One perimeter guard accounted for, but there was usually one more left. He shoved the downed guard into a nearby trash pile and started his search for the other one.

It didn't take more than a minute or two to find his prey and this time he was prepared. A knife to the throat took out the other guard before he even realized he was in danger. Butch stashed the body with the other one before continuing on his way. So far, so good.

The group of Simian soldiers was in the exact same place and appeared to have missed the little scuffles on the perimeter. The guard's comrades were completely unaware of their fellow's fate, or the skirmish about to come their way.

Butch crouched down and took a minute to observe the group and think up a battle plan. He might not like all the extraneous planning that Brick did, but that didn't mean he was against analyzing the enemy and finding the most efficient way to take them out. That was the planning he liked, quick and dirty but it got results; definitely more his style.

The group was spread out before him with no formation what so ever. Did they even pay attention to the military training they went through? Obviously not, too bad for them. It made Butch's job that much easier.

He'd easily be able to take out at least three in the opening surprise attack; the other seven would most likely be flustered for a good couple of seconds before they could react. The key here was to get in close as fast as possible and render their automatic rifles useless.

Up close, Butch could use his cricket bat with deadly efficiency. With how disorganized they were, he was guessing these were the type of troops who would hesitate to open fire for fear of hitting their own comrades. Man, this was going to be a piece of cake.

Again a grin stretched across his face as he unclipped his bat from his belt.

'On three.' He mentally counted down three deep breaths and then he was off.

Butch rocketed around the corner and flew straight into the clueless patrol. Swinging high, Butch brought his bat straight across one of his enemy's unprotected head. The trooper was thrown from his seated position and hit the ground out cold.

Whether he was dead or not, Butch didn't take the time to notice. Instead he brought his bat back around and attacked another enemy to his immediate left. A sharp chop to the neck and the soldier joined his fellow on the ground, down for the count. By now the patrol had noticed that they were under attack but the shock would hold them for a few seconds more.

Butch seized the opportunity and rammed his weapon into a third trooper's stomach. Spittle flew from the man's mouth as his eyes rolled back and he too lost consciousness. Finally the rest of the group snapped out of their frozen positions and began retaliating.

Two soldiers on either side of Butch rushed him with the stocks of their rifles raised. The brunette spun away from the first strike and ducked below the second one. As a result, the two soldiers ended up hitting each other instead of their intended target.

As they recoiled from the attacks, Butch unsheathed one of his knives and shot up out of his crouch to rake it across one of his enemy's throat. He used his momentum to spin and jam the bloodied knife into the other one's thigh. A quick left hook to the jaw and the trooper was out of the fray.

Five down, five to go.

A sound caught his ear and Butch rolled to the right, accidently dropping his knife in the process, a few seconds later a spray of fire hit the ground he once occupied. Coming out of his roll, Butch took a split second to analyze his situation.

There were three troops barely five feet in front of him trying to load their weapons. A few feet behind those three were two more soldiers with raised rifles. That's where the fire was coming from. It was time to get in close and make them hesitate.

He charged the enemy closest to him and the trooper panicked. Raising his rifle, the guy tried to jab Butch with the stock. That was of course, easily blocked and Butch rewarded his efforts with a back fist to across the face. Bringing his hand down in a quick chop, Butch broke the trooper's fingers and the gun tumbled to the ground.

The brunette grabbed the man by his collar and shoved him hard towards his comrades in the back, the ones who had been shooting at him. Both of the men blanched as their fellow crashed in to them. Together they fell to the ground in a tangled heap, but Butch wasn't watching.

He had already engaged the other two soldiers. These two were a bit quicker on the uptake, probably a bit more seasoned than the others. As Butch turned on the two of them, one slammed the stock of a gun into his face and caused him to falter for a second.

The other one took advantage of his delay and kneed him in the stomach. The trooper tried to throw a haymaker but Butch bulled into him and knocked him off his feet. Both of them fell to the ground, Butch landing on top and knocking the air out of his opponent's lungs.

The enemy that remained standing dove at the two of them after they landed and tried for another cheap shot across the back of Butch's head. The Green Ruff caught the movement from the corner of his eye and rolled to dodge the attack. The butt of the incoming rifle smashed into the downed soldier's face and blood splattered from his mangled nose.

These guys really need to stop hitting themselves, it was happening way too often. Seriously, what were they teaching these guys? Butch completed his roll with a smirk and smoothly transitioned onto his feet, pulling out another knife from his vest.

Good thing he had so many of them, and Boomer said he over compensated. HAH!

A quick glance behind him showed that the three tangled enemies had begun to recover and were staggering to their feet. He had to finish this quick.

Butch launched himself at man who had knocked him with the rifle. The trooper turned from his bleeding comrade on the ground and took another swing at the charging Ruff. Butch leaned away from the attack but sacrificed a hit to the shoulder in order to get close enough to jam his weapon into his opponent's neck. The soldier's eyes widened and seconds later blood bubbled up between his lips as his body starting going limp.

Good, bastard deserved it. Butch ripped out his knife, shoving the dead soldier out of the way, and threw it directly into the eye of the one on the ground with the broken nose. The projectile hit its mark and sunk all the way up to the hilt. A twitch later and the man stilled. Now just the last three behind him were left.

Unsheathing two more knives, he spun around on his heels and chucked them at the recovered riflemen before they could open fire. The knife that flew from his uninjured arm hit its mark true and the rifleman found it difficult to breath with five inches of metal lodged in his throat.

The other knife however, wavered slightly in its flight. Instead of matching its twin and flying into the enemy's jugular, it deviated course by a few inches and dug into the man's collarbone.

A frown formed on Butch's face. Damn.

It was at least successful in distracting the rifleman enough for Butch to rush him and knock him to the ground. Landing on top of the trooper, Butch sent two right hooks to his jaw and an elbow to his nasal bone. Overall, it left the guard in a thoroughly unfit state to fight on.

That only left the blubbering soldier cradling his broken hands a few feet ahead of him. Butch took his time getting up and walking towards his shaking enemy. He made sure to casually remove a knife from one of the corpses as he walked by.

It was Intimidation 101.

It had the desired effect; the poor soldier tried to scramble to his feet but made the mistake of using his broken hands to leverage himself up. With a pitiful cry, he collapsed to the ground. Butch almost felt sorry for the poor bastard….okay…not really. In fact, not at all actually.

He kicked the downed man in the side as he walked up, eliciting another cry, before rolling him over with the toe of his black boots. Butch took a second to look at the man's face.

He was nothing special, middle aged with receding brown hair. Fine lines had begun creeping from the corners of his eyes and stretching across his forehead. A pretty standard human, nothing special. Oh well, wouldn't matter in a few seconds anyway.

Butch put on his best evil grin, he was good at those, and leaned in close. Now came the best part, the part where he got to look into his opponent's terror filled eyes and bask in the overwhelming power he had over them.

Plain, hazel eyes met forest green and Butch's grin faltered the tiniest of fractions. Instead of unchained terror, there was something else filling those eyes. They were scared yes, but…a confidence of sorts held the fear at bay.

This wasn't right. He was supposed to be delirious with horror. Why wasn't he delirious? Did he know something? Only one way to find out.

"You have ten seconds. Talk."

The trooper only swallowed nervously.

"Seven now."

The man's mouth opened but no words came out. Maybe he didn't know anything after all.

"Down to four, hope you've said your prayers." Butch counted down the last second and raised his bloodied knife. Pity

"WAIT!"

Butch cocked an eyebrow at the man.

"You, you're gonna regret this!"

The Green Ruff let out a disappointed sigh as he rolled his eyes. What was with these guys? They always had to say something completely stupid before they died. Seriously, every single one. That's why he usually never left them enough time to talk before he took them out. It was just the same thing, again and again. It got downright boring, and of course, he hated boring. He raised his knife once more and went for the killing blow.

"We're just the vanguard!" The knife halted its descent inches from its target. "You're going to have a lot more company real soon. I hope _you've_ said _your_ prayers."

Butch looked at the man with wide eyes. That little…he, he just….A second later he turned his knife around and smashed the hilt against the soldier's temple.

The Green Ruff stood up and sheathed his knife before dusting off his hands. He took a second to think over what the guy had said. Only a vanguard huh? More would be coming at any moment?

He had to admit, the thought excited him. Fighting thirty or forty men was a lot more challenging than ten. Plus a patrol that size was usually transporting something good. It had been long time since he had that kind of battle.

He looked down at his unconscious opponent, cheeky little bastard, using his own line against him. He should have killed him but….anyone with that much balls in the face of death deserved another chance at life. It took some guts to be that cocky when confronted with the toughest Ruff, he could respect that.

It didn't mean he liked it, but he could respect it.

If this was only the vanguard, then the rest of the convoy would be close by. Straining his ears, he listened for any unfamiliar sounds. Nothing stood out but that didn't mean it was far away. He had to act quickly if he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.

Butch quickly gathered up his knives and a couple of rifles before retreating to a nearby alleyway across the street. It would provide some cover and also give him a good vantage point down both streets. Setting his stolen prizes down, he took one more look around before ducking behind a large dumpster. No sign of them, guess the only thing left to do was wait.

Damn it. He hated waiting too, more than nagging, but less than being bored, although boredom and waiting almost went hand in hand.

Butch sunk down into a crouch behind the dumpster and untied the bandana wrapped around his arm. With it, he started cleaning the blood off his knives; might as well do something productive while he waited. This could take while.

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**A/N: And there we have our first real fight scene of the story! Please let me know what you think, I had some trouble trying to decide how much detail to put in and make it not boring to read. I'm not sure how well I achieved that goal but I tried.**

**Next Chapter: Butch's ambush turns out more complicated than he originally thought as another participant enters the fray!**

**As always drop a review down below. Comments, Critiques, Questions, anything at all! I would love to hear from you guys. See you next Saturday!**


	9. Chapter 9 – Buttercups, They're Poison

**Warning: Language will be picking up from here on out because, well, Butch and Buttercup. What else do you expect?**

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Chapter 9 – Buttercups, They're Poisonous

"Thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four…and one more makes thirty-five. All accounted for, looks like Jamie's info was spot on." Buttercup commented to herself as she watched the convoy walking below.

The vantage point she had picked on the third floor of some destroyed office building allowed her to observe the group unnoticed. She had been waiting for them to show up for the last hour and it finally paid off.

Good thing too, she had better things to do with her time than wait for non-existent convoys, that and she would have sent Jamie quite a tongue lashing when she got back to base if his info had been wrong.

Jamie was one of the moles they had planted in the Simian army a month before they arrived back in Old Townsville. He, along with a small group of others, had managed to infiltrate the army easily, being career soldiers helped them stand out from the ragtag group of recruits that usually filled Mojo's ranks. After three months, most of them had been promoted to positions that gave them access to the inner workings of the military, and that gave them some valuable information.

Information like this small convoy, which was transporting a decent amount of firearms between bases. While the majority of Mojo's bases lay inside the Divide, he did have quite a few that resided in the destroyed city proper. It seemed kind of dumb, but Buttercup wouldn't question his logic because this presented the perfect opportunity to snatch up some weapons that the Resistance here desperately needed.

As it stood now, the only weapons they had were what little the Resistance could afford to send them; they were still fighting Mojo off in other free parts of the world after all. Not that there were many free areas, but you didn't give up because you were behind, you fought harder.

The girls and their company of soldiers were left to fend for themselves now; supplies were getting fewer and farther between as the weeks passed by. That was okay, they were managing and those crates below would help nicely.

Thankfully, Jamie had not only gotten the information on the cargo and date of the transport, he had also retrieved the route that they were to follow; which also meant that Buttercup had planned ahead and already set up a trap. They wouldn't know what hit them. The brunette chuckled lightly to herself.

'Just another couple of streets up and those supplies are all mine, time to get into position.' With that thought, she moved away from the window and jogged nimbly down the stairs. A few minutes later she was outside and covertly tailing the enemy convoy. No one noticed the tag along as they continued moving at a leisurely pace.

'This has got to be the worst formation I've ever seen.' Buttercup thought with a shake of her head. In all the other parts of the world where she had fought the Simian army, they had been fierce opponents, cunning and ruthless; but here…it was pitiful. Guess they weren't expecting an attack so close to their capital. Weren't they in for a rude surprise?

She was perfectly positioned for when they walked straight into her trap; she could sweep up from behind and capitalize on the confusion and chaos. Speaking of traps, she could see the site of her ambush up ahead.

It was as ordinary a street as all the others in this God forsaken city, with rusted cars and trash lined walk ways. The troopers would totally disregard the four abandoned cars lying haphazardly in the street, that was after all a pretty normal sight in the ruins.

It would be the last mistake they would ever make.

These cars didn't differ much from all the others, except for the fact that there was a small, short ranged electrical transmitter located in the gas tank of each one. These transmitters weren't even all that special; they only emitted a small spark upon activation. On its own, that wasn't much but, put one of these into a tank filled with gasoline and the results were a whole different story. Buttercup pulled out the small detonator linked to the transmitters and crouched next to an old building.

'Come on, one more street you bastards. Just one more street.'

This was going to be one of her better ambushes, if she did say so herself; at least one of the best that she launched completely on her own. Usually she had her squad around to back her up and help with operations like this one, but with the manpower shortage around base everyone had been forced to break up into smaller teams.

She happened to be solo for this mission, but what else could they do? Nothing, until they got more weapons and soldiers to fight. Well, she was going to take care of their firepower issues _real_ soon.

At least she would…if they would hurry their asses up!

Gah! What was taking so long? Did they stop?

Buttercup's brow furrowed in confusion as a few shouts began to ring out from the convoy. The formation devolved into an even bigger mess than before and more shouts called out.

"What the hell?" She whispered as she slowly stood up.

Could they have found out about the ambush? Did she leave something behind that gave it away? The brunette patted her vest and quickly double checked her equipment. 'Nope, everything's here…so why are they freaking out?'

By now, the once somewhat orderly lines of troops were in complete disarray. Stretch as she might, all she could see was a milling mass of bodies in a frenzy. She needed a better vantage point if she was going to find out what was happening.

Buttercup glanced around at the nearby buildings. None of those would do, running across open ground with an alert convoy barely a hundred meters in front of you wasn't a good idea. That left the fire escape above her, at least it was fast.

Buttercup backed up a few feet before sprinting towards rickety structure. She used her momentum to vault off the wall and latch onto the rusted ladder hanging a good seven feet above her. It took barely any effort to pull herself up on to it.

The Green Puff climbed an extra flight of stair before leaning around the building corner and looking at the convoy once more. The view from up above revealed how bad the chaos really was.

The entire convoy was massed together and it appeared they were gathering around….a person? Yep, there was definitely someone in there, and they weren't part of the Simian Army. Buttercup leaned further out to get a better view.

The figure in the midst of the troops was a whirling dervish, knocking down anything it touched. A good seven or so troops had been taken down so far, but now the rest of the convoy was closing in. Whoever was in the middle of that was about to be in a whole lot of trouble.

Who the hell was that though? No one occupied the streets of Old Townsville and no one ever attacked a Simian convoy, at least, not from what she heard.

The biggest question on her mind at the moment was why in the name of all that was good did they rush into a fully armed contingent of troops with what looked like no path to escape? Either they had a really good back up plan or they were an incredible idiot. At this point she wasn't sure which one it was.

Didn't matter anyways, they were an idiot for messing up her ambush in the first place.

Buttercup let out a peeved sigh. Well, after they finished off the stranger below, the convoy would continue on its merry way straight into her trap and then she could spring it. It was only a little hiccup in the plan. At least the stranger had thinned out the crowd a bit.

Buttercup settled back to wait for the action to die down when a cry clawed its way above the rest of the noise and captured her attention. The brunette turned back just in time to see one of the Simian troopers go flying four feet into the air before crashing into a group of his comrades.

"Holy shit…" Buttercup pushed off the wall and gripped the handrail, leaning out as far as she could.

No one threw people into the air like that. It wasn't possible…at least, not for a human. The only people she knew that were capable of that were her and her sist-

"NO! No, no, nooooooooooo." Buttercup moaned.

Lime green eyes widened as she focused on the figure amidst the convoy. The action had slowed down for a second and the fighters took a moment to catch their breath. The soldiers had fully surrounded the stranger and were cautiously circling him, waiting for an opening to present itself.

The stranger turned this way and that, trying to keep them all in view at the same time. Finally, he turned around and Buttercup got a good look at him, confirming her inner fears.

That wasn't just any idiot…that was Butch.

With a curse, Buttercup reacted and hopped the railing of the fire escape, landing on the ground below in a deep crouch to absorb the impact. Staying low, she dashed from debris pile to debris pile, getting closer to the action with each step.

What the hell did he think he was doing?! Running straight into a convoy like that was death wish…unless….

Buttercup slid to a stop behind an overturned ice cream truck some meters away from the battle as a thought hit her. What if this was a trap? Butch could be working for Mojo, if so, then he wouldn't have to worry about getting killed by his own men.

What if their mole, Jamie, was actually a double agent and had set them up? Mojo could already know about this ambush and planned a counter ambush for it. This could all be an elaborate ruse to draw out the Resistance forces and wipe them out.

Buttercup popped her head up over the truck with a scowl and watched the action for a few seconds. The fighting had resumed, at least that's what she inferred from all the grunts and cries of pain. Another soldier went flying and hit the ground hard, bouncing a few times before rolling to a stop…motionless.

If this was an ambush for her, they were making it pretty convincing.

Buttercup tighten one of her hands into a fist, this whole situation was a mess. Her instincts were screaming at her to get away, but for some reason she was rooted in place. She really should leave and forget the entire thing but….this was too good an opportunity to pass up. The Resistance here needed those weapons, badly. Was she willing to sacrifice everything for them?

It took only a second before the answer came to her. Yes, she would.

There were really only two things that could happen to her anyway should she run into the fray. Scenario one, Butch really was allied with Mojo and she would be instantly captured or killed. Not the best of outcomes but realistic.

Or scenario two, Butch wasn't in Mojo's pocket and if she ran out there the both of them could easily take out the soldiers and finish the fight within minutes. But then she would be left with Butch…alone on a deserted street after ten years apart. Who knows how that would go? Had he even changed at all?

Buttercup scoffed to herself. No, he was probably still a grade A asshole.

Another cry flew through the air, one distinctly familiar but utterly different. Buttercup cocked an eyebrow and popped up her head once again to refocus on the fight. The battle had moved a few meters away from her now, to avoid tripping over the bodies that littered the ground.

If that yell was anything to go by, then Butch had gotten himself hurt. He was still going strong right now, but for how much longer? Should she wait it out? Help him? Time was running out. She needed to make a decision and it needed to be made now. Buttercup let out a frustrated growl as she tried to think through the dilemma.

What would her sisters do? Blossom would, of course, look at the situation logically and magically be able to find the right answer within seconds. Blossom was just special that way, things like that came to her with barely any effort. Unfortunately, Buttercup wasn't as talented in that area as her older sister. It pissed her off, especially in events like this.

Thinking like Blossom wasn't going to work so, what would Bubbles do? Well, that was obvious, she wouldn't hesitate to run out there and help the Ruff. That girl had too big a heart, after all the years of war they had been through she would still rush out into danger to help someone; even if that person was a former enemy.

Were they even still enemies?

The words her blonde sister had said a week before came back to her. 'He seemed really different from the last time. When I mentioned Mojo, he got really angry; like he was insulted or something.'

If Boomer was different, was Butch different too? Had they changed? Buttercup didn't know.

Pounding a fist into the ground, she gave up on the whole thinking thing. Over analyzing was something that Blossom did. She was Buttercup, and all this crap was wasting her time.

She shoved all the confusing thoughts to the back of her mind and did what she always did, relied on her gut feeling. And right now, it was telling her that a fight was calling her name. Consequences be damned, she would deal with those when they arrived.

Pulling out two knives from her vest, she vaulted over the truck and ran straight into the battle without another thought.

The entire convoy's attention was focused on Butch when Buttercup jumped into the fray. They fell like lambs to the slaughter as she attacked. Blood pumped through her ears and the air seemed electric as she slid through the enemy's ranks, slicing and stabbing everyone in her reach. She fought with a deadly efficiency, attacking only the most vital areas. Years of close quarter combat and missions came back to her, everything she had learned, everyone she had ever fought. Each move was effortless, almost like a well-practiced dance.

This, this is where Buttercup truly felt alive, her senses fully engaged; every movement, every sound seen and heard in perfect clarity. It was as if her powers had never been taken away. All who came before her fell in a spray of red and didn't rise again.

She was strong, hell she was invincible! Nothing could touch her while she was on the assault.

Buttercup had always had a thirst for battle, an affinity for it. Years of experience had honed that affinity into a weapon, and she was deadly. Already ten men had fallen by her hands and only now were the rest finally beginning to realize that they were being attacked on two separate fronts. As the remaining troops split their attention, Butch pressed the attack with renewed vigor.

They fell like flies.

* * *

Buttercup rammed her knife into her opponent's eye before ripping the blade out and replacing it in his throat. As her enemy fell, she spun around and searched for another threat; except, there were none. No immediate threats at least. Before her, the street was covered in bodies. Some clustered together, others isolated, all of them leaking blood and turning the concrete a deep blackish brown color. Her hands and knives were slick with it.

It was nothing new to her, but the metallic scent in the air always made her a little sick to her stomach. Buttercup swallowed back the bitter taste in her mouth and tried to refocus on her mission. The ammunition crates. Thankfully they were unharmed, sitting innocently on their counter gravity sledges a couple meters away, heedless of the carnage surrounding them.

Buttercup took a step towards them before remembering she wasn't alone. Turning around revealed the only other conscious person in the vicinity and he stood hunched over with a hand on his side. The Puff tightened her grip on her knife and slowly began to approach him, as if walking up to an unknown, deadly creature.

In reality, he was one.

The sound of her boots splashing through the puddles littering the road caught his attention. Butch glanced up momentarily at her and she froze, only a couple meters away.

Would he attack her? It was a possibility, although he probably would have done it by now instead of letting her get this close. Then again, he could be waiting for her to let her guard down before striking.

The young man in front of her looked down to the ground and let out a deep breath, almost a sigh, before standing up carefully. His hand remained on his side and from beneath it she could see a dark stain.

He was injured…interesting.

The silence sat thick between the two of them as their eyes met. Nicks and bruises marred his face; a particularly brutal one was turning his jaw a sickly yellow purple color. Yet his eyes were intense and sharply focused on her. Different shades of green clashed and the small psychological battle began. It was a contest of wills, neither giving an inch nor backing down.

Buttercup couldn't remember how long they stood there for, but finally he took one slow, measured step towards her.

It was a cautious step, as if he expected her to bolt at any sudden movements like a scared animal. She gritted her teeth at the thought but stood her ground and waited for his next move. Seeing her remain stationary, he took another careful step… then another…and another…and still more, until he finally came to a stop less than two feet away from her.

Buttercup fought back a scowl and tried to remain calm and collected as she was forced to incline her head to keep eye contact.

When had the bastard gotten so tall? They had been almost the same height the last time she had seen him. If she remembered correctly, he had actually been the shortest out of his brothers and the Powerpuff Girls; something she had teased him mercilessly for back in the day.

He continued to stare down at her, studying her without saying a word. That was new. Usually he opened his mouth and blurted out the stupidest thing he could think of within seconds. Well, it was stupid to her and just about anyone with a brain; he probably thought everything he said was clever.

Tension was palpable in the air as the two stood there. As much as she loved a battle of wills, she had a mission to finish and this was getting real old, real fast. Time to break the ice.

"Butch." She said in a clipped tone.

"Buttercup."

His rough baritone surprised her; he always had a tenor quality to his voice when he was younger. Good thing it deepened, otherwise she wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

Buttercup looked him over once. "And here I thought you were dead and rotted in the ground for the past decade."

The right side of his mouth quirked up in a small smirk. It gave his nose an even more crooked appearance. "I would have said the same thing about you, but I can see it wasn't for lack of trying." His eyes wandered briefly to the right side of her neck.

Buttercup resisted the urge to reach up and cover the scarred tissue that spread from the top of her shoulder to right under her ear. Her remnant healing capabilities made most injuries look like they never happened, but not close impact frag grenades. Some wounds were too much to complete fade away.

His eyes traveled once down the length of her body and Buttercup felt distinctly violated, and much more than a little disgusted.

"I see you finally grew a figure." His grin was lecherous but his eyes still kept that intense quality about them. He was trying to rile her up, get her off her guard.

That wasn't going to happen; she wasn't ten years old anymore. Besides, two could play at that game.

"I see you finally got a real hair style, when did you stop licking light sockets? A month ago?"

His grin only grew at her comment as he ran a hand through his short hair, leaving the longer top pieces in disarray. "You haven't changed much, still as feisty as ever."

"And you're still a dick. What do you want Butch? Why are you here, besides messing up my ambush?" Buttercup demanded, keeping a tight grip on her knife.

The smirk fell off his face and he raised one eyebrow at her. "YOUR ambush? Last time I checked, I was the one who ambushed this group. I did take out, oh, three quarters of it after all." There was an undeniable smugness coating his voice.

Buttercup struggled to suppress her rising irritation. She would NOT let him get the best of her. Not today.

"Excuse me? When I jumped in you had barely ten men down and were about to be pounded into the ground, and it was MY ambush. I had my trap all set up and ready to go when you just had to waltz in and mess it up!" Her voice rose as her annoyance began to get the best of her.

Buttercup took a deep breath and quickly thought of those calming techniques Blossom had taught her. She had to stay calm and keep her temper under control, even if he was an insufferable jackass with a big mouth.

Butch leaned down a hair closer to her. "For your information, I had already taken out the advanced guard before this convoy even came along, and after you joined the fight, I more than made up for my slow start."

He leaned back again. "What'd your ambush consist of? Throwing knives at them from a window and hoping they couldn't find you?" He said as he raised an eyebrow at her knife collection hanging from her vest, his condescending voice dripping in sarcasm.

That stupid, smug smirk of his appeared once again and Buttercup felt her teeth start to grind against her will. This guy knew exactly the right buttons to push. Superior attitudes she could handle, even the mocking was something she could take, but doubting her abilities? Ohhhhhhh.

'Calm, deep breaths. Calmmmm, cal- Screw it!' This time she leaned right into his face.

"You see those four cars over there?" She pointed towards them and he briefly glanced over. She didn't wait for him to respond. "Their gas tanks each have an electric transmitter that, with a push of this button," She pulled out the detonator and wiggled it in front of him. "Would have set off a spark, that would have caused an explosion, which would have blown these troops sky high!" She shouted out, throwing her arms into the air to emphasize her point.

Buttercup lowered her arms back to her sides and let him mull over that for a couple seconds. How's that for an ambush? Dumbass. Just the sight of him was enough to bug the crap out of her now. The Green Puff turned her head away and saw the ammunition crates again.

"I could have already secured the supplies and been out of her by now." She muttered to herself. How long had she been standing her and bantering with Butch anyways? Far too long in her book.

Stupid Butch, messing up her plans. Buttercup was so involved in mentally cursing out the Green Ruff that she almost missed his response.

"Okay, say I hadn't butted in." She looked back at him with an unimpressed look. "Say your little ambush had gone off with flying colors." His voice was completely serious, but he mocking way he wiggled his fingers at her pissed her off. This is why she hated him! He couldn't stop mocking her for one second!

"Wouldn't that sled of ammunition, which I'm assuming you're after, have gone up in smoke along with the soldiers?" He raised both his eyebrows at her.

Buttercup opened her mouth angrily to refute him, but after a second, she snapped it back shut and leaned away from him. His smirk grew into an indulgent grin as he brought a hand to his ear, waiting for her answer.

She wanted to say that her plan would have worked perfectly, but now that she thought about it, what he said was a very real possibility. The ammunition could have been blown with the rest of the convoy.

**AUGH!** Damn him!

How dare he stand there and mess up her plans then try to question her about it! She wasn't some five year old! That mocking grin on his face didn't help matters in the slightest. Bastard!

She had been in the Resistance for almost ten years now and fought in more battles than he could count! The worse thing about the situation was that she couldn't think of a single thing to say to refute his claim.

She had to regain the upper hand, so, she changed the subject. "You never answered my question. What do you want?"

He lowered his hand but the smirk remained. He knew she was purposefully avoiding the answer, but he surprisingly let it go and answered her question. "You."

"...Excuse me?" Buttercup's scowl dropped as she looked at him in disbelief.

"You or one of your sisters. You just happened to be the first one I ran into." He said with a shrug. "Ever since Boomer ran into your sister a week ago, Brick's been itching to talk to one of you guy, and been a real pain in my ass about it too. So come on and try to keep up. The sooner he can speak with you the sooner I can get some peace back into my life." He turned away and started walking away.

Did he really expect her to go with him? Just like that? Was he insane?! No way in hell was she leaving anywhere with him. "Fuck that!"

Butch stopped mid stride and looked back at her in shock.

"I'm not going anywhere with you bastard." Buttercup spat out at him.

Slowly, he turned back around and stalked up to her, leaning in close. "Seems you learned a couple of naughty words since I've last seen you." He kept his tone low, but Buttercup wasn't intimidated. She took advantage of his close proximity and in an instant whipped her knife right underneath his jaw line, right by the long scar that traveled down his neck.

"That's not the only thing I've learned since you last saw me." She growled and put pressure on the knife. A bead of blood swelled out the cut and slowly dripped down the side of his neck.

"You don't want to mess with me Butch. I'm finishing my mission and I'm sure as hell not leaving with you when I'm done. If you try and stop me, you won't like the consequences."

The Ruff didn't move a muscle; he simply stared at her for a second. Then his eyes changed and suddenly her hand was caught in his vice grip. The mocking amusement had vanished from his face and was replaced by a hard look.

Buttercup absent mindedly though she might have crossed the line by directly threatening him. Too late to take that back now…not that she would. She could get out of this, no problem.

Buttercup yanked her hand back but it barely budged an inch. The firm grip he held on her wrist tightened. When she used to have her powers, the both of them had been equal in almost everything, strength included. Now it seemed as if he held the advantage.

Damn males and their superior upper body strength. She stopped trying to pull away as he lifted her hand away from his neck and pulled her in close.

"That wasn't a request. You're coming with me whether you like it or not. If you try and run well…you won't like the consequences."

Buttercup growled as he turned her own words against her. She had to get away. If she could distract him for a second then a knee to a very sensitive male area should be enough to make him loosen his grip.

"Like hell I am! You think I'm going to let you take me without a fight?! To ransom me off to Mojo? In your dreams pal!"

That did the trick. Butch's menacing expression crumpled as he raised both eyebrows in bewilderment. "Ransom to Mojo? Where the hell did you get that idea? This had nothing to do with him; Brick just wants to talk to-Oh! Fucking shit!"

His grip on her hand loosened as he hunched over. Buttercup took advantage of his pain and sent an elbow to the back of his neck. As he fell to the ground she turned tail and ran straight towards the anti-gravity sleds that held her precious cargo.

He might be stronger than her now, but she'd bet her Major Glory lunch box she was faster.

It took her less than thirty seconds to run to the sleds. Vaulting over the sidewall into the cockpit area, she turned on the ignition and started up the sled's engines. They began to glow slightly as the machine warmed up.

How could she forget these things had a warm up cycle? Buttercup tossed a look over her shoulder to see Butch rise his feet. She took one look at his murderous expression and cursed.

"Come on, come on! Hurry up damn it!" If he caught up with her before the engines warmed up…that was fight she wasn't in the mood for right now. A low thrum started as the turbines began to spin at a leisurely pace inside the engine. "Faster!"

Another look over her shoulder showed him running at a full sprint towards the sled. He was yelling something at her, but it was lost as the engines finally roared to life and she flipped on the counter grav propulsion units. The sled shot up five feet into the air immediately and she nearly lost her balance. Buttercup threw back the throttle and sled jumped forward and began speeding away.

Haha! Success!

Unfortunately, Butch was a lot like her and neither of them gave up easily. He had somehow managed to cover enough ground to leap up and catch a hold of the same sidewall Buttercup had vaulted over before.

The sled titled off balance at Butch's sudden weight and started to drift. It nearly collided with a telephone pole before Buttercup veered sharply to the left and narrowly avoided it. She fought at the controls and tried to keep the craft from flipping over or running into anything else while Butch pulled himself up.

When he got a good grip, he reached over the wall and made a grab at Buttercup's arm. Reflexively, she let go of the controls and brought a hand down into the crook of his elbow. His hold broke and with both her arms free, she pressed the attack.

A back hand to the face, a right hook to his bruised jaw and a quick left jab to the wound in his side was enough to throw him off balance. Buttercup grabbed his face violently and shoved with all her might. His grip on the vehicle broke and he was sent crashing to the street below.

Thank God for military training and the instant reflexes it drilled into her brain.

Buttercup grabbed the controls again and directed the sled towards her booby-trapped cars. Now to make sure he didn't follow her. As she raced past the cars, she took out her detonator and sent one last look over shoulder towards Butch.

He had rolled to a stop and was on his hands and knees, gaping at her as she made her escape.

HA! That'll teach him to mess with a Powerpuff Girl! She gave him a mocking smirk and for good measure, flipped him the bird before pressing down on the detonation switch.

The sled wobbled in the air as explosions ripped up the ground. Pillars of fire shot twelve feet into the air and sent the cars flying. They crashed back down to the ground in a fiery pile of twisted metal.

'Let's see him follow me through that!' Buttercup's smirk grew into a grin as she sped away from her would be captor. Mission…success! It was high time to get this ammo back to base.

* * *

Butch pushed himself to his feet and watched his counterpart fly off through the fire.

What the hell had just happened?

He had had her, but she somehow got away. Oh this wasn't good. He thought of how Brick would react when he told him that not only had he engaged a convoy despite orders not to, he had also found and lost a Powerpuff Girl; all while making her think he was an enemy that wanted to deliver her to Mojo Jojo.

There was really only one word to sum up his situation at the moment.

"Shit."

* * *

**A/N: There you have it! Our second Ruff/Puff confrontation, this time with more action and a lot more hostility! Thank you to all you wonderful readers out there! I hope this chapter was as fun to read as it was to write.**

**Next Chapter: Buttercup's faced with the aftermath of her run in with Butch and its giving her a headache.**

**If you liked what you read, feel free to drop a review or favorite and follow this story. We have weekly updates! So later peeps, see you next Saturday! **


	10. Chapter 10 – Thinking's Not My Style

Chapter 10 – Thinking's Not My Style

Buttercup cruised out of the darkened tunnel into dim light as she finally arrived back at the base. A cheer rang up as she settled the grav sled down on the ground and a group of soldiers ran out to meet her.

She turned off the engine and hopped down amidst the group. They congratulated her, offering her grins and slaps on the back, before they started working to off load their newly acquired supplies. She took it graciously and returned the praise with nods and smiles as she wormed her way through the crowd. Normally she'd stay to help the guys with the lifting but there was some important information that needed to get to Blossom ASAP.

"I gotta hand it to you this time Buttercup. I didn't think you'd pull it off, not by yourself at least." A genuine smile spread across her face as she escaped the cluster of soldiers and saw the face attached to the voice addressing her.

The tall, young man with light brown hair gave her a cheeky grin and extended his hand. Buttercup grasped his arm and pulled him into a hug.

"Oh yea of little faith. This should teach you to stop doubting me Mitch."

He barked out a laugh and squeezed her tight before pulling back. "You'd think I'd know that by now, I've only known you for what? Fifteen years?"

"You _should_ know better by now. I guess it just takes a little more effort to get anything to sink through that thick skull of yours." She rapped a knuckle on his cranium.

"Hey!" Both of them shared a laugh at the false indignation in his voice. Buttercup nodded her head towards the lobby and took off; heading for the Command Center. Mitch hurried to join her. Buttercup looked at him as they walked and noticed him sucking on a split in his lip.

"How'd your operation go? Get in a bit of a tussle?" She motioned to his lip.

Mitch shrugged at her question. "Eh, it could have gone better. No real injuries thank goodness, but they put up a fight and we didn't get as much food as we we're hoping for. Another convoy is schedule to make a run tomorrow at dawn; hopefully it won't change because of today's ambushes. Jamie told us it would be transporting more food than today's shipment. Let's hope he's right."

Buttercup nodded quietly. Food was a precious commodity right now. They were still trying to build up their forces but an increase of soldiers meant an increase of food as well. Food they didn't really have at the moment.

When they had first arrived in Old Townsville, they had only been accompanied by twenty soldiers and barely enough supplies to feed them. The rest of the troops had begun filtering in about three weeks ago from the Resistance via nearby cities. Thankfully as more troops arrived, they brought food stores and bolstered what little the base had.

That food was beginning to run low unfortunately and it was time to secure some alternate food sources, especially now that Blossom was looking to recruit new soldiers from the slums at the Outskirts.

The Outskirts of Old Townsville was a dumping ground for the dissenting population of Mojo's empire located on the far suburbs that the Girls used to call home. He had set it up at the beginning of his reign and used it as a punishment for those who disobeyed his orders.

It was a lot like a prison but without the guards. When you were stuck miles away from civilization with only a crazed monkey dropping you food stores every month, there wasn't much incentive to run away.

The girls had only made contact with the people once so far since arriving but already they had a large source of willing volunteers who wanted to fight back against their dictator. The only downside was that most of the volunteers were untrained and malnourished.

Blossom was currently working on a plan to slowly funnel out supplies and some of their better soldiers to conduct basic training in secret, but that particular project wouldn't bear fruit for at least a couple of months.

The Resistance here would just have to make do with the small group of soldiers it had available, even if that meant they couldn't do any real damage to Mojo just yet. Buttercup let out a disheartened sigh.

"Jeez, we can't all be like you Buttercup and single handedly take out a convoy."

Blinking out of her thoughts, she realized Mitch had assumed her sigh of disappointment was directed at him and the outcome of his mission.

"What? No, no I wasn't sighing at you. You guys probably did great with what you were given. I was just thinking over our whole situation. It's kinda dismal right now." She waved an arm in front of her.

Mitch shrugged once again. "Starting out is always hard, especially when you have to enter the heart of enemy territory to do it. I'd say we're doing pretty well for only two months into the operation." He raised his eyebrows at her with a smile.

"I suppose so…"

He rolled his eyes heaven ward and shook his head softly before looking at her. "You can't topple a dictator in two months Buttercup. No matter how much we all want to. We'll do it… eventually, it takes time is all."

Buttercup chose not to respond to the comment. Instead she focused on the approaching Command Center. Sensing her sinking mood, Mitch wisely decided to change the subject.

"Soooo, how'd your amazing fight against the convoy play out? Run into any trouble? You know, besides the thirty armed guards of course." He asked as he jogged up the steps and held open the door for her.

Buttercup couldn't hold back her mocking laugh as she thought about her eventful ambush.

"Ohhh, you have no idea what kinda trouble I ran into." She muttered before entering into the building.

Mitch shot a confused look at her back before quickly following her in. "Wait, what?!"

Buttercup ignored his question and kept walking towards the back of the building, her destination: the Map Room. When she entered she found Blossom in her customary position, hunched over the table, moving markers around and making notations on spare pieces of paper. Typical, did she ever leave this room?

Probably not.

Hearing someone enter, Blossom raised her head and a smile bloomed on her face. "You're back, how'd it go?"

"Got the ammunition." The Green Puff answered as she took a seat.

The redhead beamed at her and wrote something down on one of the papers surrounding her. Mitch walked into the room and gave Blossom a halfhearted salute, which she didn't notice, before taking a chair next to Buttercup. He crossed his arms over the back of it and leaned forward to try and catch her eye.

"Whoa, whoa, what do you mean? What kinda of trouble did you run into? Collectors?" Blossom straightened at Mitch's words and looked at her sister sharply.

"Trouble?"

Buttercup's expression soured just thinking of the ball of trouble that was Butch Jojo. "Bubbles isn't the only one getting a visit from old friends it seems."

Mitch's look of confusion deepened but Blossom's eyes widened in shock as she got her sister's message. The Red Puff bit down on her lip as she gazed from Mitch to her sister. Buttercup sat quietly, waiting for her sister to say something and ignoring the bewildered looks Mitch was sending her way.

It was Blossom's decision whether to reveal the fact of the Rowdyruff Boys continued existence or not. And until she made that decision, Buttercup would keep her mouth shut. Her leader came to a decision a minute later and looked at Mitch.

"Go get Bubbles please Mitch. She'll be in the Med Clinic."

Mitch half rose. "What? Why? What trouble was Buttercup talking about?"

"Go get Bubbles Mitch. That's an order." Steel entered her voice at the last sentence and she sent a stern look towards the brunette.

Mitch stood for a second, mouth agape, before his shoulders sunk in defeat. He couldn't really disobey a direct command from his superior officer now could he? He left; all while throwing furtive glances Buttercup's way. She continued to ignore him and focused on her pacing sister instead. When Mitch's footsteps faded, Blossom addressed her sister.

"Which one did you run into? Boomer again?

Buttercup snorted. "No, the dumber one."

"Butch."

"Bingo."

"That's two confirmed Rowdyruff Boys alive. All that leaves is Brick." Blossom once again bit her lip. She really needed to stop doing that; she was going to gnaw a hole through it one of these days.

Buttercup titled her chair back and set a foot on the corner of the table. "He mentioned Brick actually. They're all still alive and kicking evidently."

Blossom looked at her in surprise and took a seat on the opposite side of the table, across from her sister. "As much as I want to know what happened, we'll wait for Bubbles to arrive, better for you to only have to explain it once."

The brunette gave her a nod and both of them settled down into their own thoughts while they awaited the arrival of their blonde sister.

Buttercup took the time to think over what she was going to tell her sisters. Looking back on it, the whole experience had been nothing but weird. The appearance of Butch in the first place was totally unexpected. After a week of no contact from the boys, she had somehow pushed them to the back of her mind and conveniently forgotten about them.

So when Butch popped up in the middle of one of her ambushes, she was, understandably, thrown off balance. When he started attacking the Simian troops, even before he knew she was there, it only further added to her confusion about the situation.

Was it a trap? It sure ended up as one, at least to her it did. I mean, come on! He tried to forcefully capture her against her will, how was that not a trap?!

That had been the most unsettling part of the whole ordeal, that and talking to the smartass. All those remnant feelings of resentment and anger towards him had bubbled up to the surface as soon as he opened his mouth and made all those stupid, condescending remarks.

Augh! Just thinking about his smug attitude was enough to get her blood boiling. The nerve of that bastard!

Each sister was so caught up in her thoughts that they failed to notice their younger sister enter the room. Bubbles was caught off guard as she was met with a stony silence.

Buttercup was busy burning a hole into the table top with her glare while Blossom was staring into space, nibbling at her lip. A few seconds passed before the blonde cleared her throat subtly to get their attention. Both sisters snapped out of their revere and looked at her.

"Mitch said you wanted to see me, something about trouble during Buttercup's operation? She's not hurt is she?" Blossom shook her head and gestured Bubbles to take a seat by Buttercup before directing her attention to Mitch.

"Thank you Mitch. You should go prepare for your operation tomorrow. Dismissed."

The poor, young man visibly deflated at the command and gave a petulant salute to the three of them before stalking off in a huff. Buttercup rolled her eyes at his childishness.

Men, they never grew up, always had to pout when they didn't get their way. Blossom got up and checked the hallway before shutting the door.

"What's going on Blossom?" Bubbles asked as she looked between her two older sisters, a hit of worry creasing her brows.

The redhead sat back down in her chair with a sigh. "Buttercup ran into Butch on her ambush today."

Bubbles let out a small gasp and turned towards her scowling sister. "What happened?"

Buttercup set her chair fully back on the floor and took a deep breath before launching into her tale. She made sure to emphasize the fact that she hadn't wanted to save Butch's sorry ass, it had just…happened.

Neither of her sisters commented on that fact thankfully, they simply gave her their full attention and kept their questions to themselves during her explanation. It made getting through the retelling a lot easier. It was a relief to be able to get the experience off her chest, she hated keeping things bottled up inside. And something about the ordeal bugged the crap out her, but she couldn't figure out what. Maybe her sisters would be able to pick up on what she'd missed.

"So then I flew straight through my booby-trapped cars and hit the switch. Boom! Man, I didn't think that explosion would have that much kick to it, but it nearly sent the grav sled straight into the ground. Anyways, I used the explosion as cover and escaped with the supplies. I didn't want Butch picking up my trail so I used the Cuningham subway station to get down into the tunnels and flew here without any more trouble, end of story." Buttercup sat back in her chair and looked at her sisters faces. Bubbles forehead was scrunched with worry while Blossom was staring intently at the table top.

"He tried to kidnap you to bring you to Brick?"

Buttercup nodded at her younger sister's question. "Well, he tried that after ordering me to follow him didn't work. Dumbass."

Seriously, how little brain cells did he have to think that would actually work? On her especially? She just had to have the stupid counterpart didn't she?

Blossom looked up at her and joined the conversation. "He said Brick wanted to talk to one of us? Any of us?" Again the brunette nodded. Blossom asked her another question before she could verbally reply.

"How hard was it to break his grasp on your arm?"

Buttercup arched an eyebrow in confusion and half shrugged. "I couldn't break it without kneeing him. Bastard has a pretty tight grip."

"But not super powered tight? And he didn't fly at all when chasing you?"

Buttercup paused and her eyes widened in surprise as she considered it.

He had been strong, true, but like her sister said, not super powered strong. It was also true that he _ran_ after her when she made her escape. No flying what so ever. In fact, if she thought over the whole encounter, he showed no signs of any super powers at all.

If it was a trap she could understand that, but when she was getting away you'd think he would have done everything in his power to prevent that. Did that mean…? Finally she shook her head at her sister. "No, he didn't."

Blossom sat back in her chair and looked at both her sisters intently. "Okay, here's what we know so far. During Bubbles encounter with Boomer, he showed no open hostility towards her until Mojo Jojo was mentioned. When she did mention him, his animosity was directed more towards the monkey than her. Another important observation is that he was injured rather severely by the Collector, which indicates that his power of invulnerability is gone. If he still had it, that harpoon wouldn't have done any damage to him."

The redhead pointed at her green clad sister. "Next, we have Buttercup's run in with Butch today. While he showed more signs of aggression than Boomer, that could just be Butch being Butch. You did say he acted utterly confused when you accused him of working with Mojo."

Blossom waited for Buttercup's nod before continuing.

"I don't think Butch is that good an actor to pull off a ruse like that. Then there's the fact that during your fight he showed no enhanced fighting capabilities that could be called super powered and he ran after you during your escape instead of flying. I think this nails down the facts rather conclusively."

Both younger sisters were staring at her intently, waiting for the words to be spoken.

"The Powerpuff Girls weren't the only ones who lost their powers ten years ago. The Rowdyruff Boys did too."

Bubbles and Buttercup simultaneously let out the breaths they were holding. Whether it was a sigh of disbelief or shock, Buttercup couldn't tell. Maybe it was a bit of both

The Boys without powers…just like them.

It was wild to think about. How long had they been like that, the same length of time as the girls? Longer? Shorter? What made them loose their powers in the first place? Was this just the natural progression of Chemical X or did some outside force have a hand in it?

Buttercup raised a hand to massage her temple. These were thoughts that she usually left to her older sister and for good reason. This was all so confusing. They were walking into uncharted territory and one misstep could literally destroy them and everything they had worked for. Ten years down the drain. Her shoulders suddenly felt the very heavy weight of responsibility.

Bubbles broke the silence first. "Soo, what are we going to do about them then?" Buttercup stopped rubbing her temple and looked towards her leader as Blossom planted both her hands on the table and pushed herself to her feet.

"Simple. Avoid them."

"Pardon?" "What?!"

Blossom sighed. "It galls me to admit to it, but despite having lost their powers, the boys are stronger than us now. Buttercup's fight with Butch today shows us that. The best thing we can do at the moment is avoid all contact with them and be on our guard. This could still be some round about trap by Mojo Jojo after all."

"How can you still believe that? You said it yourself; whenever Buttercup or I brought up Mojo, the boys reacted badly. They were either angry or confused; doesn't that mean they probably aren't working for him then?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes at Bubbles indignation. Leave it to that girl to play devil's advocate.

Blossom leaned forward over the table and pinned Bubbles with a stern, but calm, stare. "I never said that b_ut_, there is still the possibly that they are in league with each other. Maybe Mojo is holding their powers for ransom and they have to do his bidding to get them back. There could be a whole other slew of reasons that might make them side with the monkey. The last time we saw them, they were evil."

Buttercup butted into the argument with a raised hand. "I can totally believe they're working for Mojo, but ransoming their powers? Is there a way to get them back? Is that even possible? "

Blossom shrugged at the question. "I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened before, anything could be possible. Especially when you're an evil genius with the world literally at your fingertips."

"I can't believe you two! How can you think that with all the evidence pointing against it? What if you're both wrong? What if they aren't working for Mojo, what if they are working against him? What if Brick has something important to say that could help us?"

"Seriously Bubbles?" The blonde looked over towards Buttercup with disgruntled look of confusion on her face.

Buttercup scoffed and rolled her eyes at her sister's naivety. "You can't possibly believe those boys have changed sides? Brick, wanting to talk to us on peaceable terms? To help us?"

Here she adopted a throaty, deeper voice. "Oh! Girls, so lovely to see you all again after all these years. Please have a seat; I have a matter of urgency which I wish to discuss with you. Would you like some refreshments while you're here?" Don't ask her why she made Brick a snooty gentlemen, she just did.

Beside he probably was stuck up like that anyway.

She reverted back to her normal voice again. "PSH! Yeah right! Don't be so naïve Bubbles! If it wasn't a trap, why did Butch want me to go with his so badly? And why did he flip out and try to kidnap me when I refused?" Buttercup asked as she stood up and looked down at the blonde.

Bubbles sent her an indignant frown and stood up as well. "I don't know, maybe Brick gets really scary when he's mad."

Buttercup once again rolled her eyes and barked out a disbelieving laugh.

"Enough." Blossom's voice cut off the argument between the two before it could escalate further. The two younger sisters both huffed and sat back down in their chairs. Bubbles, sat down delicately while Buttercup slouched down and crossed her arms over her chest.

"If the universe continues playing out as it has been, then sooner or later I'll run into Brick. Then we can have his face to face talk and find out what he has to say, but I'm not walking straight into enemy territory to do that. And neither are you two. Let's not give them any advantage. Understood?"

Both of them nodded grudgingly.

"Also, be extra careful on your missions from now on okay? I don't want anything to happen to the two of you." Blossom finished with a worried frown on her face.

"Okay Blossom. I promise." Bubble meekly replied while Buttercup waved off her sentiment and hauled herself to her feet. She took a couple backwards steps towards the door.

"If that's all General, I'm gonna go now. I'm starving."

Blossom nodded her assent. "Go on, grab some food and get some rest, you deserve it." Buttercup flashed her two thumbs up and exited through the doorway.

As she walked down the hallway she heard Bubbles ask Blossom a question.

"Are you sure this is the right way to go about this?"

The brunette shook her head. Bubbles was something else. Seriously! Trust the Rowdyruff Boys?! Was she crazy?!

…No she was just Bubbles, kind and caring Bubbles. She'd probably never grow out of it, which is why she had her older sisters there to look out for her.

"It's the best course of action right now Bubbles. Trust me okay?" At least Blossom agreed with her. Together they'd keep their younger sister safe, even from herself.

Buttercup took a deep breath as she stepped out of the building and began making her way to the Commons. Surprisingly, she felt better after telling her sisters about her encounter. There was a little less pressure on her now that Blossom and Bubbles knew. Why it made a difference, Buttercup didn't have a clue, but it did somehow. That's just how it worked with sisters she guessed.

She dodged around a pair of men carrying some mining equipment and saw the Commons up ahead. Waving to the sentry posted at the entrance, she walked inside and inhaled the various scents filling the large room. It had been a cafeteria area before the war and they saw no reason to change its function when they took over management. It already had all the ovens and refrigerators anyways, less work for them to do.

Grabbing a plate of….something, she sat down and studied her food. It didn't look pretty, hell she couldn't even identify what was in it, but somehow it was tasty. Leave it to the head cook Miss Rosa to make miracles out of food rations.

Buttercup bit into her meal with gusto. Despite the food being relatively tasty, she couldn't help but long for the days when steaks and mashed potatoes were just a store trip away. Oh man, that would taste so good right.

Soon, soon Blossom would come up with a plan to deal with those Rowdyruff losers and then they could continue on and take down Mojo Jojo. The world would finally be restored in its rightful order and things could go back to normal again. This was just a little road block they'd have to deal with, nothing big.

At least now they knew the Boys could be incapacitated…or killed.

While Buttercup didn't like taking life unnecessarily, in Butch's case it would probably be inevitable. There was no way the two of them could ever coincide in peace. One of them was going to kill the other and it wasn't going to be her ending up in the ground.

Besides, it wasn't like he would be missed; hell, taking him out would be a gift to humanity as a whole. One thing was for sure, Butch Jojo better watch his ass the next time they met. She wasn't going to run away a second time.

* * *

**A/N: So there's chapter 10. I don't really have much to say about it. Introduce Mitch, show off a bit more of the base and how it operates. Pretty par for the course. **

**Next Chapter: Butch makes his triumphant return home!...Yeah Right. He is in such deep shit.**

**If you liked what you read, see any typos, want to point out what I did right or wrong, please feel free to drop a review down below. I was hoping to have more than one by this point but I won't let that get me down. **

**Thanks to all the silent readers who have been following me week after week. It's good to know at least some people are enjoying this :D See you next week.**


	11. Chapter 11 - Triumphant Return!

Chapter 11 – Triumphant Return!...Yeah Right

The trek back to the apartment was a long one for Butch. Not only was his face sore as hell but the wound in his side was scabbing over and tearing itself open every time he took too large of a step. It reduced him to small, shuffling steps, which not only made him feel like an idiot but it also made it twice as long getting home.

Not that he was especially eager to face Brick or anything.

He wished that convoy had had another grav sled, or something he could have rode, but stupid Buttercup had made sure to blow everything to hell during her little escape.

Hell, he was lucky he wasn't caught in the blast! Even luckier still, no Collectors had been in the area. Heat signatures like that would have drawn them from miles away and as injured as he was, he wouldn't have had good chances at escaping.

But that was done, and now the worst part of his day stood before him. The brunette slowly climbed the steps and tried not to think of himself as a man walking towards the gallows. It was a hard image to shake.

Butch came to a stop at his apartment door and stared at it in a way that could only be called as apprehensive. Brick sat just on the other side of said door, waiting for his report. This was not going to start or end well.

If he was lucky, he'd only get another couple of bruises, if he wasn't…Butch winced as he recalled the hair incident.

Yeah, this was going to hurt either way.

Ugh! Stupid woman! This was all her fault; she was still making life difficult for him after all these years. Ohhh, if he ever got his hands on her again…With a sign he gathered his courage and shouldered open the door before walking inside.

There, just as he predicted, was Brick, sitting on the couch reading an old, torn book. Boomer was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn't surprising. The blonde was usually out scavenging or hold up in his room doing who knows what.

Crying probably, the sissy.

At Butch's entrance, Brick marked his page and looked up at him with unreadable eyes. "Well?"

Butch kicked the door shut and took his time placing his stolen weapons neatly in the closet by the door. Brick's eyebrows lowered at the sight of the weapons and instantly Butch knew he was suspicious. That couldn't really be helped.

The Green Ruff unhooked his cricket bat from its harness and sat down carefully on the arm of the couch. He laid his beloved bat across his knees in a pitiful attempt to form an obstacle between himself and Brick. Eh, it was worth a shot.

"Buuutch." There was a definite warning tone in the redhead's voice. It was better not keep him waiting.

"I ran into the Green one today." 'No sense in pussy footing around the issue.' He thought.

Brick's usually blank look sharpened into what could almost be called excitement. It was an odd thing to witness. The last time Butch had seen that look on his brother was when they had robbed the arcade and scored a pinball machine back when they were eight. That was twelve years ago, he was amazed Brick face could even form that emotion anymore.

Brick stared at Butch for a moment before looking around the room briefly. "You ran into her? Where is she then?" His tone darkened and Butch shifted his shoulder uncomfortably. Here came the fun part.

"Welllll you see, I found her but she kinda…got away from me." As silence filled the room, Butch suddenly found a new nick in his bat very interesting. An ominous feeling rose up inside Butch, like the calm before the storm.

"…She got away?" Brick's words were said in a perfectly calm and controlled voice, but as Butch glanced his way, oh his eyes seemed to blaze. Time to explain the situation, maybe it would calm his older brother down if he heard the circumstances?

…Yeah… and Butch was a pretty, pretty princess. Oh, he was so dead.

Butch sheepishly scratched at his bruised face. "Okay, I was scouting the routes you gave me and I was finding nothing! It was totally dead. So, as I was walking I just happened to run into this patrol."

"Which you avoided…right?" Brick interrupted with a growl.

Butch laughed uneasily. "Not exactly…" Brick's glower deepened as Butch raised his hands defensively.

"I know, I know, it was against your orders but I was bored! I mean come on! There were only ten of them. It was a walk in the park. I go in there, beat the shit of 'em and just as I'm about to put the last guy out of his misery, he blurts out that they were only the vanguard to some convoy coming through. Bam, I pop the guy in the face and then I think to myself 'Butch, what do convoys usually carry in these parts?' The answer: food. And what are we low on: food. I mean, even you have to be bored of stale food bars and canned vegetables by now. Right Brick?"

Butch's hopeful smirk dropped at Brick's blank look. Damn, it had taken him half an hour to think up that explanation on the way home, and it didn't affect Brick in the slightest. He cleared his throat a bit before continuing.

"Anyways so long story short, I set up this awesome ambush, take the convoy by complete surprise and start beating down on these Simian soldiers when all of the sudden Buttercup Utonium enters the fray! We fight for a bit, take out all the troops, and then it's just me and her left on the field. She walks up to me and asks, very rudely by the way, what the hell I'm doing out there and what I want."

Brick was still staring at him with a deadpan expression. It was like nothing he said was even having an effect on him.

"I tell her I'm looking for her or any of her sisters because you want to talk to one of them. She flips out and starts accusing me of trying to capture her and ransom her to Mojo and a whole bunch of other bullshit like that. Like seriously! Totally flips out! I get pissed off at all the lies she's spouting, naturally, so I figured she needs to be brought to you so you can explain the whole situation to her, cause she sure as hell wasn't listening to a word I was saying. Seeing as talking wasn't working with her, I grab her arm and tell her that she was coming with me so she could hear for herself. THEN! Then, the bitch knees me in the balls!"

Butch threw his arms up and glanced towards his older brother, but he received no sympathy. In fact, he got no response at all. Damn it. Butch set his hands back down in his lap and continued on with his story.

"So while I'm trying to stand back up, she races over to a counter grav sled and takes off on it. I tried to chase after her, really! I was dangling off the side of the thing fifteen feet in the air, but she punched me right here!"

Butch gestured to the wound in his side. "Right where I got stabbed for fuck's sake! How low is that?! I lose my grip, fall to the ground and she speeds off, leaving me there to wallow in pain. Stupid bitch." He muttered the last part while gently prodding at the injury in his side.

It took a couple seconds but finally, Brick responded to his brother's story.

"She got away." During Butch's entire explanation slash tirade, he hadn't moved once. Probably not even to blink.

Butch's shoulders slumped as he stopped prodding his wound and gave his brother a defeated nod. "Yeah, she got away."

Next thing Butch knew, he was face first on the floor and his bruised cheek was hurting like a mother!

The bastard had punched him!

"Ow! Goddamn it Brick!" Butch shouted as he sat up and rubbed his cheek.

The redhead glared down at his brother. "I give you one simple task, ONE task! And you mess it up! How could you mess up something so easy?! It was like taking candy from a baby! All you needed to do was convince her to come and talk to me!" Brick was fully letting his rage out now and in truth, there was a bit of fear creeping up Butch's spine.

Just a smidge, mind you.

It had been a _very_ long time since he had truly seen Brick this pissed, but, Butch being Butch, got up off the floor and instead of cowering in the face of such anger, fought right back.

"You wanna know how I could mess it up? Newsflash! They HATE our guts! And in case you forgot, it could also have to do with the small fact that, oh I don't know, THEY THINK WE'RE EVIL!"

Brick's face was nearly the same shade of red as his hat by now. He got right up into his younger brother's face.

"That's why you were supposed to change her mind! For God's sake, you tried to bring her here against her will, what did you think would happen?" He punctuated his words by poking Butch in the chest.

"Not a kick to the balls! What was I supposed to do?! She was acting crazy, it made me mad okay?! I can't really think straight during something like that!" The brunette growled back.

"That's exactly it Butch! You never THINK! If you took one millisecond to stop and use that tiny bit of gray matter you call a brain then MAYBE things would have actually turned out correctly!"

The two of them were now barely inches away from each other, both glaring holes into the other's skull when suddenly, the door opened.

Boomer took two steps into the room and froze as he registered the scene playing out in front of him. Brick took another second to glare at Butch before turning his attention to the blonde.

"Where the hell have you been?" He barked.

Boomer meekly lifted up his new grey hoodie. "I needed a new one."

"Did you run into a Powerpuff Girl?" Boomer shrunk back a bit at the tone in Brick's voice. Butch knew that every self-preservation instinct inside the blonde was telling him to bolt right back out the door, but he surprisingly held his ground. He was probably frozen in fear, the coward.

"No, I didn't run into anyone."

"So, instead of following orders and looking for the Powerpuffs…you went _shopping_?!"

Boomer stared at Brick with wide eyes, no doubt shocked at Brick's raised voice. Brick hardly EVER raised his voice. When Boomer stayed silent Brick drew in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing it.

In an instant, his anger was back under a tight leash and he was calm once more. Mostly calm anyway. Butch swore he was bipolar or something, that wasn't normal. Hell, he himself took a good two hour to calm down usually!

Brick took a couple steps back from the brunette and readjusted his hat. Butch backed off from his aggressive stance and took some deep breaths too. His anger was still red hot and ready to burst, but yelling further would only deepen the hole he had dug for himself already.

"At least you managed to do better than Butch."

Boomer blinked at Brick's slight and glanced at the brunette, who scowled at him. The blonde's eyes darted to the floor as he shifted uncomfortably. He stayed quiet and waited for Brick to say something, but the redhead wasn't about to explain anything else.

Their leader gave Butch a sharp nod and gestured to Boomer, he was going to have to explain his failure to his younger brother himself. A growl rumbled deep in Butch's throat, Brick really knew how to get under his skin. There was nothing more humiliating than have to admit to your failures, except having to admit them to another person.

Sadistic bastard.

"I met Buttercup today and she somehow got the impression that I was working with Mojo Jojo." He muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest. Brick snorted and Butch threw a glare his way.

That was all he was saying! If Brick wanted any more from him, he'd have to beat it out of him.

Boomer spoke up before they could get into it again. "She got away then?"

A nod was all Butch could manage at the moment. If he opened his mouth the only that would come out was a stream of profanities and insults, mostly directed at the redhead in front of him. Okay, he'd have thrown a couple in about a certain counterpart of his as well. She deserved most of the blame anyway.

The blonde shifted nervously. "So what do we do now?"

"We keep trying, and THIS time, we won't mess it up." Brick gave Butch a pointed look as he retook his seat on the couch and picked up his book again. "You brought back more than just a new hoodie I assume Boomer?"

The blonde nodded and finally moved from the doorway. Pulling off his backpack, he emptied it of the various food packages inside. Boomer took one and held it up. "It's mostly ramen." He shrugged weakly.

"At least you actually brought back something useful, unlike some people." Brick muttered as he went back to reading his book. "It's nearly dinner time. Cook it up."

Boomer nodded and started to prepare the food while Butch stared at his "leader" in disbelief. He threw open the closet door and gestured to the stack of weapons inside.

"How is this not useful!? Last time I checked we were out of weaponry, can't really raid without that Brick!"

The Red Ruff lowered his book an inch and gazed at Butch over top of it. "Wonderful, did you happen to bring back any bullets with those guns?" The sarcasm in his voice was really getting under Butch's skin.

"There's some!"

His elder brother merely raised an eyebrow before returning to his reading.

GAH!

Butch slammed the door shut and glanced at the kitchen. Boomer hopped like a scared rabbit the moment Butch's eyes landed on him. He scurried like one too as he turned towards the stove and started a small fire to boil the water, as if he was oblivious to the tension in the air. What a coward.

The brunette let out an aggravated growl before storming off to his room, leaving his brothers in an awkward silence. Well, it was probably only awkward for Boomer but what else was new? That mute was always awkward. At least he was easier to deal with than that DAMN stuck up brother of his!

Butch slammed the door to his room shut and paced around like a caged lion. Who did Brick think he was?! You make one little mistake and he practically wants to crucify you! Where'd he get off? Who said he was even the boss of them anymore?!

Butch picked up a random object from the floor and hurled it across the room. It made a satisfying crash as it met the wall but that did little to calm his rage.

Didn't think?

Couldn't use his brain?

He could think things through just fine! His quick thinking had saved them from capture or death multiple times in the past, but did that matter? NOooo.

Sure, maybe he hadn't done so well today, but that bitch Buttercup got under his skin! This was all her fault! If she had just been reasonable and come with him when he told her to, this whole debacle would have been avoided! But no, she just had to be a pain the ass and do the exact opposite of that. Ohh it burned him up!

Pacing was doing nothing to calm his anger, instead Butch turned towards the far corner of his room where a punching bag hung from the ceiling. It was in rough shape, there was more tape holding it together than actual leather but it served its purpose.

Butch stormed up to it and started whaling on the poor thing. He imagined every punch to the bag was a hit to either Brick's or Buttercup's face. Either one would do at the moment.

Thump, thump THUMP! The bag quaked under Butch assault as he unleashed combo after combo on it. Ten minutes later, he did feel a little better. Not much, but a bit.

He kicked at some stray clothes as made his way to his bed and fell down on it with a sigh. What a shitty day. If he wasn't so riled up, he would just go to sleep and end it already, but unfortunately the adrenaline running in his veins prevented that from happening.

A timid knock at his door drew his attention. From the other side he heard Boomer tell him dinner was ready. Although something other than canned food was enticing, there was no way in hell he wanted to be in the same room as Brick right now. He answered the blonde with a grunt and a moment later heard his footstep retreating. Good, at least the mute could take a hint.

He spent the rest of the night laying on his bed and looking up at his ceiling, running through his encounter with Buttercup. He was realistic enough to admit that he had made some mistakes, but he wasn't going to make them a second time. One way or another, a Powerpuff Girl was going to talk to Brick and his counterpart had better hope he didn't meet up with her again.

Next time, he wasn't taking no for an answer and Buttercup was going to learn that the hard way.

* * *

**A/N: Alright so bonus for all you readers out there. I'm going out of town for the weekend so I'm posting this chapter up today instead of tomorrow. This one is a bit short by my standards but it's got a lot of fun stuff going on it I think.**

**Next Chapter: A simple scavenging mission turns complicated for Bubbles and Buttercup. They find more then they bargained for.**

**Please drop a review down below and favorite this story! See you guys next Saturday!**


	12. Chapter 12 - Treasures in the Ruins

Chapter 12 – Treasures in the Ruins

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Bubbles resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead, looked back behind her. Buttercup had her hands casually laced behind her head as she walked a pace behind her sister.

"Yes Buttercup, this is the right way. Don't you trust me?" Bubbles answered her in a playful tone.

"I trust you with my life." The brunette replied while throwing her an amused smirk. "It's your sense of direction I don't quite trust."

Bubbles stuck her tongue out before turning back around.

Amused chuckles rang through the barren landscape as Buttercup laughed at her sister's childish response.

It had been two weeks since Buttercup's run in with Butch and during that time the girls had been keeping their heads down. Or involuntary imprisonment as the Green Puff liked to call it. Normal scavenging runs for Bubbles and Buttercup had been reassigned to other soldiers by order of Blossom and the two of them were both confined to base. While it frustrated them, they could understand their older sister's caution.

But today was different! Finally, Blossom had let them go out on missions again. This was a very good thing in Bubbles book, because she was sure Buttercup was about to explode if she was forced to stay cooped up at the base any longer. She was getting a bit antsy herself to be honest.

There was only so much one could take being stuck in the dark day after day. Even if the wasteland above was dismal, it was at least a change of scenery with real sunlight. Bubbles didn't know how her older sister did it, Blossom never came above ground. It was probably terrible for her health; she'd have to bring that up with her when they go back from their mission.

Their mission! Yes, that was right; she was supposed to be focusing on the mission, not letting her mind wander.

It was mid-day and the two of them were let out of their "imprisonment" only this morning for Blossom's special mission. It really was important.

When they had first arrived in Old Townsville, the Resistance had given them two portable generators and a couple of engineers to keep them working. With the twenty five or so personnel they had brought, two generators were more than enough to provide electricity for all of them; but with the increased number of recruits pouring in; they were going to need more.

That was where she and Buttercup came in, they had been tasked with seeking out and bringing back anything that might be useful, whether it was a whole generator or some motorized parts. The engineers assured them that anything they brought back would most likely turn out useful. That was a weight off of Bubbles' shoulder.

Thank goodness the Resistance had the foresight to send them out with engineers in the first place, Blossom might be able to set up and maintain a generator but Bubbles had absolutely no idea how one even worked. That was fine with her; she liked being a scavenger, finding things were one of her uncanny talents. She'd leave the boring stuff to Blossom.

A smile played on her lips as she side-stepped an overturned bench and saw a familiar street sign up ahead. They were almost at their destination.

During her earlier scavenging missions, Bubbles had come to learn the layout of the city fairly well. It helped that nothing had changed from ten years ago. Back then she had known the city like the back of her hand, except things looked a lot different when you couldn't fly around in the air.

Currently, the two sisters were making their way towards an out of the way mom and pop repair shop Bubbles had run across a couple of weeks ago. Those types of stores always had some sort of useful treasures in them. Hopefully it would house the parts they were looking for.

"It should be right around this corner." She said as they came upon another road.

The broad avenue they were walking along intersected with a small street and formed an X shaped intersection. Along the smaller road, short buildings were packed tightly together, many sharing the same walls. Awnings hung askew over many of the doors and bars lined most of the windows. This was obviously not one of Townsville's most reputable areas back in the day. It was in sharp contrast to the tall skyscrapers located barely a mile away.

Buttercup unlaced her hands and put on her game face. It was business time now and the Green Puff was serious about business.

She passed Bubbles and cautiously poked her head around the building corner. Bubbles joined her a second later and both of them scanned the intersection for anything out of the ordinary. There were no signs of life, no movement besides the wind blowing bits of trash and discarded papers around.

"Looks deserted. Let's go, you take point." Buttercup whispered after a minute. With a nod, Bubbles sank into a crouch and darted quickly along the street. She stuck close to the walls and tried to remain as quite as possible.

Just because it seemed they were alone didn't mean they actually _were_ alone. Always remain on your guard; you can never be too careful. That was a lesson she had learned time and time again over the years.

Darting across the street, Bubbles reached the repair shop with Buttercup a few feet behind her. The blonde cast one last look down the street before trying the handle. The door creaked as it swung open and a wave of musty air rushed out to meet her.

Bubbles waved a hand in front of her face and struggled not to breath in the dust. Suppressing the urge to cough, she pulled up the scarf around her neck and settled it over her nose to act as a filter.

With her scarf in place, Bubbles entered the store and scanned the inside. It was a decent size; there was a small counter on to the left of the doorway that held a few cabinets and a register. The rest of the space was filled with piles of various objects.

And when she said piles, she really meant pillars! This place was crammed full of stuff!

The space was packed with mechanical objects of all shapes and sizes. She saw toasters and TVs, old VCRs, clocks, washing machines, weed whackers, even a few refrigerators in the back. Those would definitely need to be looked at. This store seemed to have everything. There had to be something in here that they could use.

Buttercup entered the store a few seconds after her sister, securing her black bandana around her nose to keep the dust from entering her lungs. She stepped up to Bubbles and they both surveyed the piles of junk with feelings of hope but also a twinge of dismay. They were definitely going to find something in here…but it was going to take a while.

"Might as well get to it, you take that side and I'll get this one." Buttercup gestured to the right half of the room and Bubbles gave her a nod. The blonde tightened her pigtails and got to work.

A few hours later, Bubbles met her sister at the front of the store, shrugging on her full backpack.

The brunette raised an eyebrow at her. "Find anything useful?"

Bubbles shrugged at her. "I think so. There was tons of stuff in here. Hopefully the engineers back at base will be able to use it."

"Yeah I know what you mean, let's head back. It's getting late."

Indeed it was getting late, the sun was slowly sinking below the buildings and darkness was already creeping in from the shadows. Bubbles guessed it was early evening. Telling time was getting difficult with fall in full swing, the sun fell earlier each day.

They had told Blossom they'd be back before supper, but that might not happen at this rate. They weren't really expecting to find such a treasure trove in one small store.

It would be a long trek back to the base and the Blue Puff was really hoping to avoid walking it in the dark if she could. Not that the dark bugged her, it made traveling treacherous was all. Collectors always had increased patrols at night.

Bubbles glanced at Buttercup who merely readjusted her pack, seemingly without a care in the world, and set off out the door. Bubbles follow her strong willed sister a few seconds later.

* * *

It was two hours later that Bubbles was really starting to regret her decision to come all the way out to this area. The sun had fully set and the last vestiges of the orange sky had faded to black. Small pinpricks of stars bloomed in the night sky and slowly a thin sliver of moon rose above the buildings. It would have been a rather nice night to stargaze if they weren't smack dab in the middle of hostile territory and late on their return.

Supper back at the base had passed by now and Blossom was no doubt wearing a hole in the carpet from pacing. They were most likely going to get an earful when they finally got back. It didn't help that they missed one of their turns and accidentally lost their way for a half an hour. Retracing their steps back had also eaten up time.

Bubbles really should have chosen a closer place for her and her sister scavenge for parts but that store was the best place she could think of. She had just wanted to do a really good job on this mission, a way to prove herself. Not that she needed to prove anything, but that's how she felt after being cooped up for two weeks.

Up ahead, Buttercup let out a frustrated sigh as they came upon another intersection. It was easy to discern in the darkness thanks to their enhanced night vision.

"Faulkner Street?" Buttercup muttered before turning back towards Bubbles. "Do you remember a Faulkner Street Bubs?"

The blonde rolled her eyes up as she thought about it. 'Faulkner Street, Faulkner Street….it sounded familiar. Hmmmm. Oh!'

"Yeah! If we take it up four blocks it will get us to Gaston Street. From there it's straight east for a few miles until we get to Trevor station." Bubbles chirped happily. They could take the tunnels at Trevor station all the way back to the Resistance base.

"Ahh, okay. Let's go, if we spend much longer out here Blossom with skin us before we have a chance to explain ourselves." Buttercup let Bubbles take the lead and together they trotted up the dark street.

"The next street up is Gaston." Bubbles said a couple minutes later. As soon as she finished speaking, her ears picked up a soft scraping sound and a faint cough.

Instantly both she and Buttercup froze mid step. The shared a brief look before simultaneously sinking into a crouch. Buttercup unsheathed one of her knives silently while Bubbles loosened her machete from its scabbard.

They advanced slowly towards where the sound emanated from, a small alley way a few feet ahead of them. Bubbles heart beat a pace faster as she thought about what awaited them in the alley.

Could it be a Simian patrol? A Collector? Or worse…a Rowdyruff Boy?

The blonde let Buttercup take the lead as they neared the corner. Her sister lifted her hand quietly and counted down with her fingers. When she formed a fist they swung around the corner with weapons raised, ready to meet their opponents.

As soon as she turned the corner Bubbles froze in shock, she could feel her sister do the same. They weren't expecting the scene in front of them at all.

"What the hell?" Buttercup muttered as she lowered her knife and stared in confusion at the six pairs of eyes gazing up at her in fear.

Her words broke whatever spell held the five small children before them and all at once, the sniffling began. The kids couldn't have been more than seven, they were so tiny. All of them were huddled against an old frail woman, trying to hide themselves in her arms. The woman gripped the children tight as she gazed up in fear at her and Buttercup. The sniffling escalated in to full out whimpering and echoed down the alleyway, awakening Bubbles out of her shocked state.

She re-sheathed her machete and glanced at her sister for guidance.

What in the world were they supposed to do?

She had never run into civilians before on a mission, neither had Buttercup apparently, because she seemed just as lost as Bubbles was herself. What were a group of children and an old woman doing out here? In the middle of a dead city filled with blood thirsty robots of all places?

Buttercup hadn't moved an inch since she put away her knife; she kept looking at the group in front of them, as if trying to determine if they were really there and not some figment of her imagination. Well, if she was simply going to sit there, then it was up to Bubbles to get some answers.

The Blue Puff took a few steps forward but stopped as the kids shrunk back and clung tighter to the old woman. They were like frightened little bunnies, it nearly broke Bubbles heart.

"Whoa, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She walked a few slow paces more before sinking down to one knee. The old woman looked at her with clear apprehension on her face. Bubbles put on her most reassuring smile and addressed the woman.

"My name's Bubbles. I'm here to help"

The effect was instantaneous, recognition lit the woman's eyes and she let out a shaky breath. Slowly she raised a trembling hand from one of the children clinging to her and made as if to touch the blonde.

"Bubbles? The…the Powerpuff Girl?" Her voice was so thin that even with enhanced hearing Bubbles had to strain to hear her correctly.

"Yeah, that's me. And that's my sister Buttercup, right over there." Buttercup awkwardly lifted a hand in greeting as the woman's focus shifted to her for a second before looking back at the blonde.

Bubbles looked around with a soft frown. There was nothing in the alley way beside this group, no shelter or supplies. How were they living? "What in the world are you all doing out here? It's not safe."

Tears began to fill the woman's eyes and she grasped Bubbles hand in a surprisingly strong grip. Maybe this lady wasn't as frail as she had originally thought.

"I knew it…I knew you Girls were still alive! I just knew! I always kept faith that you'd come back one day and here you are!" The joy in the woman's voice took Bubbles by surprise.

It had been years since she had actual contact with ordinary civilians. Blossom usually took the liaison position and handled those kinds of meetings. Seeing the amount of hope spring into this lady's eyes was a humbling experience for the blonde.

Bubbles smiled at her and squeezed the hand that held hers. "Thank you. We did come back, and this time we're going to win, but that's not important right now. What are you doing out here with these kids? The only people I've seen around here are those loyal to Mojo Jojo."

The kids had quieted down their whimpering during her conversation with their caretaker, but at the mention of Mojo's name they started right back up again. The lady released Bubbles hand and gathered the children to her in a group hug.

"Shhhh, shhh. It's alright." As she comforted the children and attempted to calm them down, Buttercup came up to Bubbles side and squatted down beside her.

"How long have you been out here?"

Concern wasn't something Bubbles often heard from her sister, but this was an alarming situation. Concern was a valid emotion even for her, given the circumstances.

Judging by the state of their dress, Bubbles guessed this group had been wandering for a long time. Holes and stains riddled their clothes, making it impossible to guess at the original colors. Their poor faces had a worn and drawn look to them, with hollowed cheeks and sunken eyes.

Bubbles had worked as a medic in the Resistance before relocating to Townsville and she had seen enough POW's to know what malnutrition and sleep deprivation looked like. These poor things were in terrible shape.

The woman looked back at the both of them when she managed to calm the kids down once more. "We've been wandering these ruins for a long time, I'm not sure exactly. The only ways I have to judge how much time has passed are how much the children have grown since we've left." She directed a soft smile at the group sitting around her.

The kids paid her no mind however; their eyes were still locked on to the intruders before them. They seemed captive by her and Buttercup's eyes. She supposed she would be too if she found someone whose eyes glowed softly in the darkness. That wasn't exactly normal.

The lady coughed roughly before continuing. "We're escaped refuges from New Townsville. I was member of the anit-Emperor movement there and these kids were the children of my fellow members."

Buttercup interrupted before she could continue. "There's an anit-Emperor movement in New Townsville? I thought that place was completely under Mojo's control?" Once again the children whimpered at the sound of the tyrant's name. Buttercup sent them an apologetic look as she realized her slip up.

Another cough echoed down the alleyway as the woman shook her head softly. "It's not completely under his control, no matter much he wishes it to be. There have been many resistance movements since he took power all those years ago; some larger than others, but all with the same passion to see him dethroned." She trailed off lightly, staring intently into the brick wall across from her. Bubbles got the feeling that this old woman had been in quite a few of those resistances.

Bubbles spoke up softly, jarring the woman from her thoughts. "If there are so much resistance, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in the city, fighting him?" There was no accusation in her voice, only curiosity which the woman thankfully picked up on.

"There used to be resistance….unfortunately that's changed in recent years." Her face turned dark. "The anti-Emperor group I was part of three or four years ago, was one of the best organized I had seen since the chimp took power. We had more members than ever before, plans were being put into place and action was going to be taken. Never had any movement I've seen gotten as far as this one had."

Her eyes stared out into the distance, reaching back and grasping at long buried memories.

"We had plans to storm the Citadel and overthrow the Emperor. I'd like to believe they would have succeeded given the chance." Her face fell and a frown marred her features. "Unfortunately that wasn't to be. Before we could organize our members and commence the revolt, the Emperor somehow caught wind of what we were planning. A week before the riots were to start, he launched a sweep of the city to root out all the dissidents and rebels."

Tears filled her eyes once again as she relived those memories. Bubbles heart went out to her.

"Thousands were rounded up and jailed. Most were sent to labor camps outside the city, or dumped in the Outskirts, but the leaders…they weren't so lucky. Through interrogation, the Emperor managed to gather almost all the names of the most prominent leaders of our group. I was lucky enough to escape capture and when I heard he planned to give them a live execution I knew what he really meant to do."

The tears finally spilled out from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks, leaving glistening tracks through the dirt.

"One of the Emperors favorite pass times is to capture the families of the person he has scheduled for execution. Right before they are sent to die, he forces them to watch as their family's lives are taken in front of them. Only when the last of them are gone does he take the person's life as well. I couldn't let that happen, not to my comrades and these kids. I gathered as many children as I could and escaped through an old sewer the day before the execution. We've been wandering here ever since." She finished her tale and dabbed at her eyes.

How awful. Bubbles had always known Mojo was evil, but that…that was just…heartless.

Killing peoples families before them? How could someone even do that? He needed to be stopped and soon. People had already suffered so much under his reign; her and her sisters had to stop him to prevent anything more like this from happening. A fierce determination welled up within her heart.

"Why haven't you gone to the Outskirts? Surely that's better than living out here, with the patrols and Collectors." Buttercup said, gesturing to the destroyed buildings sheltering them.

The woman shook her head fiercely while drying her eyes. "No, no. That would be too dangerous for everyone involved. If I was found out, one of the heads of the anti-Emperor movement, he wouldn't just punish me; he'd punish that entire community. I couldn't do that, I-"A coughing fit overtook her and caused her to break off mid-sentence.

Bubbles brow scrunched down into a frown. The cough resonated deep from her lungs, and that worried her. "Are you alright? That's a really bad sounding cough."

The woman waved at her weakly as she cleared her throat. "I've had it for months now; it's nothing you should worry yourself over."

"It's been getting worse!" Bubbles blinked in astonishment at the little girl who spoke up.

Bright green eyes shifted nervously from her to the woman before turning back to Bubbles. The girl swallowed her apprehension and gave Bubbles the most adorable determined frown she had ever seen. The old lady tried to shush her but she stepped around her arm and looked straight at the Blue Puff, eyes shining with conviction.

"It's true! Her coughing has gotten really bad! And she gets tired all the time. You're a Powerpuff Girl right? You supposed to be good and help people, you have to help her! Please?" Tears brimmed in the young child's eyes as she pleaded with the blonde. If Bubbles heart hadn't melted before, it had now.

"Of course we'll help her; we'll help all of you." Bubbles said as she softly placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. The girl surprisingly didn't shy away from the contact. "What's your name?"

The little girl sniffed and wiped her nose on a ratty sleeve. "…Betty."

Bubbles gave her a reassuring smile. "Everything's going to be alright now Betty, I promise. And a Powerpuff Girl never breaks her promise." Betty shyly returned the smile before Bubbles rose to her feet.

She turned towards Buttercup only to find that she had retreated towards the alley entrance some time during Bubbles talk with Betty. The blonde walked up and stopped next to her sister. "We're taking them back to base with us."

Buttercup heaved a sigh. "I knew you'd say that."

"You'd rather we just leave them here?" The cross look she received from the brunette made her feel a bit guilty at the accusation. That was harsh of her, Buttercup might be rough but she wasn't callous towards other's pain.

"Of course not! It's going to make it harder to get back is all."

Bubbles brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? We know where we are now, it's only another thirty minutes. Forty tops."

Another sigh escaped her sister's lips before she leaned in towards Bubbles and spoke in a quieter tone. "Thirty minutes at OUR speed. Do you think an old woman and a bunch of kids will be able keep that pace? Our soldiers back at base can barely do that. It'll be at least double our time now to make it back, maybe even triple and that's if we don't run into trouble. We're still a good two or three miles out from Trevor station and another four or so miles to the base after that."

Bubbles earlier confusion melted into concern as she thought about what Buttercup said. "You don't think we'll run into anything do you? I thought Simian patrols didn't come out this far?"

Buttercup poked her head out of the alley way and scanned the area before turning back to her sister and looking at her seriously. "It's true there hasn't been any scheduled patrols out this far, but that doesn't mean there aren't unscheduled ones. Patrols aren't the thing that worries me though."

"…Collectors…"

Buttercup nodded in affirmation. "You know they don't follow any specific routes, they wander around and do damn well anything they please. With a group this size, it'll be like a beacon to them if there are any close by. We'd be an easy target."

Bubbles nibbled at her lip, she hadn't thought of that. Like Buttercup had said, you could never anticipate where a Collector would end up. They ran on their own orders, apart of anything from the Simian Army. If a Collector did spot them….Bubbles looked at the group of kids huddled around the old woman. No, it was worth the risk. They couldn't leave them out here, not on their own.

Bubbles firmed her resolve and turned back towards Buttercup. "We're not leaving them."

Buttercup gave her an irritated look. "Did I say we were? No, I just said it would be harder to get back."

She turned from Bubbles. " Jeez, you point out one thing and you're a child deserter. What next? I wanna kick puppies too?" She muttered under her breath as she shook her head and started walking back towards the group.

Bubble followed behind and watched as Buttercup squatted down by the kids. The brunette pointed at one of the boys. "You, what's your name?"

The child in question stood frozen as she singled him out. Bubbles saw Buttercup give the kid a small friendly smirk. It wasn't the most reassuring smile, but then again Buttercup didn't do the whole reassuring thing very often.

It worked though, the boy swallowed before stuttering out. "J-John." Buttercup gave him a nod and gestured to the boy next to him.

"Joseph."

"Kevin!" The last boy spoke up eagerly before Buttercup could point to him. She chuckled at his enthusiasm which caused him to grin at her. He was definitely the outgoing one of the group. Buttercup motioned to one of the two girls next.

"Erin."

"Betty."

With all the kids introduced, Buttercup turned towards the old woman and looked at her intently.

"Jessica Frenel." Buttercup gave her a respectful nod and stood up. Clapping her hands together, she addressed the entire group.

"Okay, here's the deal. We aren't about to leave you guys out here by yourselves, so you're all coming back with us to our base. There we can get you some hot food and a nice safe place to sleep. How's that sound?"

The kids all broke out into bright smiles and began murmuring to each other with excitement. Bubbles couldn't stop a smile from forming on her own face at the sight. They were so cute!

Jessica looked at the sisters in shock before breaking out into a beautiful smile. It lifted her sagging skin and softened the hard edges from her face. The effect was amazing; years seemed to disappear as she directed that smile at them.

"That sounds wonderful."

Bubbles beamed back at her before speaking. "Good, now that that's settled, let's get out of here. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll arrive."

With some help from the children, Jessica rose to her feet. Buttercup directed the group into a rough formation, with Bubbles taking point and the brunette at the rear. The kids were assembled in two man rows with Betty holding Jessica's hand at the back. Not surprisingly, the little boy Kevin eagerly stole one of the front row spots.

Bubbles was going to have to keep an eye on him, he seemed the adventurous type. It would not do to have him wander off as they tried to make their way back.

With the group assembled, Bubbles turned back and gave the kids a firm warning. "You guys need to follow me exactly and you have to be really quiet okay?" The children all gave her nods. Bubbles gave them a smile and looked back at Buttercup. When she gave her a thumbs up sign Bubbles knew they were good to go.

Without any further ado, the group left the alley and walked steadily down Gaston Street at a slow pace.

Buttercup wasn't kidding when she said it would take longer to get there, but they would do it. Bubbles felt confident that they would arrive safely; after all, they hadn't run into any patrols today or seen any Collectors during their mission.

'Here's hoping our luck stays.' She thought as she led the group towards safety.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so not really an exciting chapter but it has its purpose. Next week will be triple the excitement! And I'm not just saying that.**

**Next Chapter: Today, Brick was supposed to be killing Simian troops, but he might just kill Butch instead.**

**Alright see you guys next week. If you'd be so kind, please leave a review down below. Even a simple 'cool story' would be appreciated because I'm not sure how many people are even still reading this. Regardless, I'll keep posting!**


	13. Chapter 13 – Broken Rhythm, Broken Heart

Chapter 13 – Broken Rhythm, Broken Heart

Brick scowled in frustration at the garrison located below him.

He and his brash brother were sitting on the roof of an eight story office building situated right across the street from the small fortified outpost. It only housed a hundred or so Simian troops, not that impressive and not what they were after.

The power relay station _inside_ the outpost was their target. Taking out the relay really wouldn't do that much to hurt Mojo and his Simian empire but it would remind the chimp that they were still out here, plus it would get Butch to quit his whining.

Brick's scowl deepened at the thought. His stupid brother was getting nearly unbearable, always complaining, and when that didn't work, destroying things in temper tantrums. At least he limited his destruction to items in his room, if he had even tried to bring it out into the living room…well let's just say it was a good thing he hadn't tried.

"Where the hell is Boomer? Shouldn't he be back by now?" Speaking of the green eyed devil, Brick crouched back down behind the roof's edge and looked at Butch.

The Green Ruff sat back on his heels, tapping his fingers on the stock of his cricket bat with no particular tune or rhythm, an eager glint in his eye. Brick swore he had nearly pissed himself in excitement when the redhead had announced that they were healed up enough and going on a raid today.

Idiot.

"He'll get here when he's done. Exercise some patience for once." Brick told Butch as he sat down and leaned his back against the edge wall. Butch's expression soured a little, but he shut up and went back to his tapping. That guy couldn't sit still if his life was on the line.

Ignoring his annoying brother, Brick dove back into his thoughts about their current situation. It had been two weeks since the last Puff sighting and nothing had happened since then. Nothing involving the girls at least, he had noticed an increase in patrols recently. That didn't concern him much, not with the Powerpuff problem on his hands.

That was the main reason for his foul mood today, fourteen days of searching and nothing! They must have scoured every inch of the city twice over but those girls were nowhere to be found. It was like they had disappeared off the face of the earth a second time.

He knew that wasn't the case but it felt like it. No, if anything that was Blossom's hand at play. Despite her over inflated ego and general all around annoying personality, she was smart, he'd give her that. They were counterparts after all, she had to have at least some of his intellect. In her situation he would have done the exact same thing, lay low until more information could be obtained.

The only problem with that was if they wanted information then that meant they had to come talk to him! And was that going to happen anytime soon? Not likely.

Brick contained the sigh trying to well up inside him and smoothed out his scowl. Calm, he needed to remain calm and not let emotions get the best of him. Once you let logic go and ran solely on your emotion, that's when problems started. They couldn't afford that, not on this or any other raid.

Calm…calm and collected.

Tap… … ….. .tap…tap…..tap.

The redhead could feel the corners of his mouth pulling down into a frown despite his resolve. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

….tap…. ..tap…. .tap…tap.

His eyebrow twitched as the tapping continued to break the silence. In a vain attempt to block on the noise, he shut his eye tight.

This went on for at least the next five minutes, Butch anxiously tapping away and Brick getting steadily more aggravated, struggling not to punch his face in.

Would it kill the guy to at least pick a rhythm?!

Just as Brick was about to snap, another sound caught his ear. It too was a tapping sound, but unlike the irritating one coming from his sibling, this one had a rhythm; a rhythm that matched perfectly with footsteps.

Brick opened his blood red eyes and saw the source of the sound climbing the last stair and stepping out onto the roof. Never in his life had Brick felt more thankful for his blonde brother than he did right now.

That wasn't saying much, he had never been particularly thankful, but in this instance it was a welcome relief. Mercifully, Butch's tapping stopped as he too saw Boomer exiting from the stairwell.

"Finally! Took you long enough. What'd you do? Stop to pick flowers?" The blonde gave Butch a deadpan look and chose not to respond to his jab.

"Whatever, what's the situation? Find a way in?" The brunette asked eagerly as he stood up to meet his brother. Brick pushed himself up and walked over the two of them.

Boomer shrugged off the sling that held his baseball bat and rested it on the ground before replying. "There are only two entrances, that one below and one on the opposite side. Both are guarded by four men and a dozen or so attack bots each. No APCs as far as I could see."

Brick rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Four men wasn't much of a problem for them, it would be the dozen attack bots with them that would prove to be the nuisance.

They weren't the smartest robot in Mojo's army but they were deadly if there were enough of them. The attack bots had twin machine guns mounted on both of their dull, metal plated human like arms. A large canister of ammunition was mounted to their rectangular shaped torso on both the front and back that fed into the guns, providing them with enough rounds to last an extended engagement.

Brick knew from experience that was not something they wanted to get caught in right now. The guns weren't their only weapon, four pronged legs connected to the bottom of the robot's torso. They were sharp as hell and allowed the bots to move at speeds greater than humanly possible. Good thing he and his brothers weren't entirely human.

The best things about the bots were their entirely unsophisticated AI system and their limited range of vision. While they did have heat sensing vision wired into their black plastic, skull like face plates, it was woefully inaccurate and had a very limited range. Smaller size meant less room to put the necessary equipment in.

He wasn't complaining though, any advantage was a good advantage. Brick believed these bots were the precursors Mojo had experimented with before perfecting the design in the form of a Collector. The resemblance was definitely there.

"What about other entrances? Sewer tunnels? Scaling points?" Butch's voice brought Brick back into the conversation just in time to see Boomer shake his head at the brunette.

"No sewer access, all the ones I entered were collapsed. Scaling the walls are out, they have rotating guard patrols every thirty feet, two per patrol. No blind spots." The blonde finished lamely.

Butch growled low in his throat and turned towards Brick. "Well?" Brick arched an eyebrow at him silently. The brunette huffed. "What's the plan oh great leader?"

While he didn't particularly appreciate the sarcasm lacing Butch's tone, he thought over the question without letting his anger get the best of him.

'Two entry points with medium guard detail, no blind spots, and a hundred or so enemies located inside to meet us should we draw attention to ourselves. Hmmmm' Brick rubbed at the scar passing through his lips.

Those really weren't very good odds. He knew his brothers were antsy to actually do something…well Butch was at least, but a contingent of troops this large could easily over power them if they triggered an alarm. At the very least they were looking at attacking forty or so men if they went through one of the gates. There was no way they could sneak through without attracting at least some attention.

Anyway he looked at it there was only one thing he could think of. "Given the lack of blind spots in their security, we should hold off until a more opportune moment presents itself."

"WHAT!? You can't be serious!? We haven't fought anything for a month. A month! No fucking way we're backing out of this!"

Brick glared at Butch as he ranted. 'Way to go genius, why don't you keep on yelling and alert them to our presence, totally blowing any chance of success?'

Butch finished his tirade with a heavy frown and glared right back at his brother, holding his ground with fists clenched at his sides. The redhead suppressed an aggravated sigh. When Butch got that look on his face it took an act of God to dissuade him.

Brick knew this wasn't going to end well no matter what he did, if he called off the raid it would only spur Butch to go off on his own and, in all likelihood, do something incredibly stupid. On the other hand, if he commenced with the raid and they triggered the base's alarm they would be in a shit ton of trouble.

The question was, which was the lesser of two evils?

Brick rolled his eyes at the obvious answer. "Fine, we'll wait an hour and see if the situation has improved any. Maybe they'll do guard changes or something."

Butch let out a whoop of joy while Boomer simply nodded. At least this way he could control Butch's stupidity, somewhat.

"Keep it down imbecile; you don't want to alert them to our presence do you?" Butch only rolled his eyes at his older brother and sat back down against the roof edge, taking off his bandana and wiping down his bat with it. Boomer grabbed his bat off the ground and joined him. Brick followed suit and the three of them settled down to wait the hour out quietly.

"Hey, if there aren't any guard changes we can always find an old truck or something and ram it through the gates."

Quietly, yeah right.

Brick ignored Butch's idiotic suggestion, seriously what part of stealthy operation didn't he understand, and turned towards his youngest brother. Boomer was looking at Butch in bewilderment, even he could see how moronic the brunettes plan was, when Brick smacked his arm.

"Hey, what else did you find?" The blonde looked away from Butch's crazed grin and turned to face the redhead. Butch's grin slip off his face when he realized he was being ignored and he went back to wiping his bat in a sulky manner. Not that he'd ever admit he sulked.

"Umm, nothing else really to report. No Collectors within five or six miles of here." The Blue Ruff said quietly.

"Good, what about roving Simian patrols?"

"None that I saw."

"Convoys?"

The blonde shook his head and Brick bit back a sigh and leaned against the edge wall. Why did their best person at scouting have to be nearly mute as well? He supposed it helped with being stealthy but it was a definite disadvantage when it came to reporting back, not to mention a pain in the ass.

"What if we found some gas tanks and stuffed a rope in them, like fuses, and threw 'em at the gates huh? The explosion would totally rip those bots apart."

And why did his best fighter have to be an incredible idiot on top of it all? The things he had to work with. Brick ignored his brothers and started to think of the best way to draw out the gate guards while Boomer silently stared at the ground in front of him.

"Man, I hate waiting. Why can't there be any action." Butch grumbled before, thankfully, falling silent.

* * *

"Kevin." Bubbles whispered sternly. The little boy in question looked up from the pile of junk he had been pawing at with wide eyes. Bubbles struggled to contain her rising irritation at the little boy. Sure he was adorable but this was the fifth time he had wandered off or become distracted by something in the last thirty minutes.

Normally she would have been a lot more patient with him but they were in hostile territory in the middle of night with who knows what around them. Now was not the time to be indulging his curiosity.

"Get back in line." She tried to make her voice as stern as Blossom's, which always seemed to work on unruly soldiers back at base, but it was hard to do so while whispering. They hadn't run into any trouble yet, that didn't keep Bubbles from being as careful as possible.

Kevin turned away from the clutter of objects and ran back to his place in line. Most of the time Buttercup would catch him before he got too far off, but she also had to watch their six and make sure Jessica was keeping pace.

The old woman valiantly tried to keep up, but after thirty minutes of walking at a brisk pace she was starting to falter. Her hacking coughs were also getting worse; Bubbles feared her sickness was getting the best of her at the worst possible time.

Every time an bout of coughing hit her, the sound would echo loudly through the streets and it always seemed incredibly loud to Bubbles ears. It made her nervous. One thing you learned quickly in Old Townsville was to be as silent as possible.

"Bubbles, hold up." Her sister's voice called softly from the back. Bubbles held back a sigh at the delay. This was the third time they had to stop; keeping the kids in line got harder each time. How had Jessica managed to do this for three years on her own? She definitely had Bubbles respect.

Speaking of the older woman, she was currently leaning on Buttercup's arm breathing heavily. That wasn't a good sign.

"Keep in line guys, okay?" Bubbles waited for their nods of agreement, especially from Kevin, before walking back to her sister and Jessica.

"Are you alright?" Bubbles asked as she placed a hand softly on the older woman's back.

Jessica let out a hoarse cough before nodding her head weakly. "Yes, yes. Just lost my breath for a moment. I'm alright now, we can continue on."

"We'll wait a couple minutes, why don't you take a seat?" Buttercup suggested as she led Jessica to a nearby slab of concrete. Jessica sank down onto the stone with a grateful sigh. Betty stayed by the woman's side and gently patted her hand as she struggled to breathe deeply. Buttercup made sure she was situated before turning back to Bubbles.

"How far are we from Trevor station?" The Green Puff asked.

"If my mental map is right…it's at least another mile." Bubbles quietly replied. This was taking a lot longer than she anticipated. Buttercup hadn't been kidding when she said the group was going to slow them down. Bubbles felt like they were moving at a glacial pace, and with barely any moonlight to brighten up the night, she felt utterly exposed. She hated that feeling.

Buttercup released an aggravated sigh at the news and gave the group a once over.

The children were still somewhat in a line…not really….okay, there was no line anymore.

They weren't even standing were Bubbles had left them. Instead, they were clustered around a broken window to some shop that used to sell electronics. Bubbles could feel the beginnings of a stress headache coming on. At least Kevin was still there with them.

"Okay, so another what, fifteen, twenty minutes until we reach it?" Buttercup asked as she turned her attention back to her younger sister.

"About that." The blonde replied. "You haven't heard or seen anything behind us have you?"

"Nah, it's been quiet, thank the Maker. Once we get to Trevor Station we can slow down the pace a bit. A Collector could still potentially spot us, but patrols won't. We just need to get through this last part quic-" The brunette stopped mid-sentence and tilted her head.

An intense look of concentration stole across her face and she turned to the left, walking a few paces forward before stopping and listening again. Bubbles felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched her.

"Bubbles, come here, listen. " The blonde obeyed the command and stepped up next her sister, cocking her head to the side.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, a few seconds later she heard what had caught her sister's attention. It was soft, so soft it barely registered, but after a half a minute there was no doubt about what they were hearing. The faint clanking noise was getting louder with each repetition, getting closer to them.

Bubbles snapped her eyes opened and looked at her sister with wide eyes. Buttercup returned the look.

"Collector….we have to move. NOW!"

Bubbles didn't need to be told twice. She turned away and jogged towards the children, trying to contain her rising fear.

"Okay, kids, time to move on. Get in line, quickly now." The kids sent her curious looks as they picked up on her urgency. Darn children and their astute perception. "Come on, in line." Bubbles commanded once more as she gently guided the kids back into formation.

"What's going on?" Kevin asked from his spot at the front.

"You wanna get some warm food don't you? If we take any longer it'll all be packed up for the night."

The white lie fell flat and only caused the kids to grow more suspicious. She wasn't good at lying under pressure alright? ….Okay, she wasn't good at lying at all, especially when under pressure. But she didn't want to strike unnecessary terror into the kids. It was better that they not know.

"Save it Bubbles, might as well tell them the truth. A Collector's on our tail and we need to move our asses pronto." Buttercup spoke up as she directed Jessica and Betty back in formation.

As soon as the word Collector registered in their little ears, the panic set in. All at once, the kids began letting out whimpers and terrified moans. The neat rows they were in started to crumple as they grabbed on to one another, trying to find some form of comfort.

'Thanks Buttercup.' Bubbles thought with wide eyes. They could not afford this right now!

She went down to one knee in front of the four terrified kids and looked them in the eye. "Everyone listen to me." Her stern voice cracked through the air and caught their attention immediately.

"Yes, a Collector is scary but right now I need you all to be brave, really brave. We don't have time for crying, we're only a few blocks from safety. If we keep moving we can make it there before it spots us. I need you guys to keep strong, move fast, and listen to every word I tell you okay? Can you do that for me?"

Reluctantly, the kids gave her nods of agreement and tried to calm down. Bubbles gave them a reassuring smile before standing back up and looking at her sister. Buttercup sent her a thumbs up.

The clanking had become easily discernible now to her ears, it wasn't far off. That was more than enough to spur Bubbles on. Making sure the kids were back in formation and ready to move, she set off at a light jog towards the station. She would have liked to full out sprint for it, but the kids and Jessica were having enough trouble keeping pace as it was. Bubbles hoped jogging was going to be fast enough.

Each minute passed in an excruciatingly slow pace as the noise grew ever louder. Bubbles had to keep herself from checking over her shoulder every five seconds. Not only would it freak the kids out more, it would distract her from looking ahead and spotting any potential trouble.

The last thing they needed was for her to trip, knowing Kevin's attention span, he would probably crash into her and trip also. That would waste them valuable running time; the Collector might even catch up to them if that happened! She definitely couldn't afford to trip.

'Calm down Bubbles, Buttercup's got the back covered. You need to focus on your part girl!' She continued mentally coaching herself as she ran; still the clanking sound wouldn't stop. It was like a drum beat in her head, the kind that sounded before an execution. Not a good mental picture.

Bubbles was forced to skid abruptly to a stop as she came to a sheer drop in the road. Pin wheeling her arms, she barely managed to regain her balance and keep from going over the edge. Kevin bumped into her from behind but thankfully he was so light it didn't disrupt her balance in the slightest.

Before them, the entire street and sidewalk fell six feet down in a sinkhole as long and wide as a football field. It covered the entire breadth of the street, from building to building. To avoid the obstacle they would need to backtrack and move up one street, but that would take way too much time. Time they didn't have. That left her little choice in the matter.

Bubbles dropped down and landed nimbly before she turned around to give the kids hand. Kevin scrambled down with no trouble, but as Joseph followed after him, he hesitated. The poor boy stood frozen at the ledge, looking down with wide eyes.

After a few seconds of Bubbles trying to gently coach him down, Buttercup came up from behind and hoisted him up by the collar of his shirt. She dangled him over the edge and once she was sure Bubbles was ready, dropped him.

A frightened yelp escaped from the little boy before Bubbles caught him and covered his mouth with her hand. Bubbles felt a tad bit irritated at Buttercup's blunt approach, but it did get results.

Joseph clung to her collar, shaking like a leaf, as she set him down. That had probably scared the daylights out of him, nothing like a little childhood trauma, as if he didn't have enough already. It took a little coaxing but he eventually let go of his death grip on her jacket and stood quietly next to Kevin. The boy's lower lip trembled only slightly as she turned back towards the cliff.

One by one, Buttercup dropped the kids into Bubbles waiting arms as quickly as safety permitted. Even Jessica was tossed down, it wasn't something she was entirely happy with, Bubbles could tell, but she didn't complain. When a Collector was nearby, you did whatever you had to stay alive.

Buttercup jumped down with no troubled and grabbed Bubbles arm. She made sure the kids and Jessica were out of ear shot before whispering urgently to her sister. "We're moving too slowly, we need a new plan."

Bubbles blinked in a shock. "What? Why? We're nearly there."

"Yeah, and that Collector is almost on top of us."

"Which is why we should be moving, not standing here talking. Once we get to Trevor Station we can find a somewhere to wait it out, there has to be someplace in there with enough rock to hide our heat signatures." Bubbles replied.

"We'd never make it in time, not with these kids slowing us down. It'll catch up with us before we even get to the tunnels and once it gets our heat signatures we're done for. I'm not leading that thing back to base if I can help it."

Bubbles bit her lip as she considered her sister's argument. The clanking was loud enough that you didn't need super hearing to perceive the ominous noise anymore. She was right, it would be upon them within minutes and they couldn't lead it back to base. That would be disastrous.

"Well, what do we do?" She asked the brunette.

Buttercup glanced around a second before letting out a miserable sigh. "I can lead it away. I'll run back and get its attenti-"

"Absolutely not!" Buttercup glared at her.

"How else are we going keep it away from these kids?" The Green Puff asked irately.

"We'll figure out something! Anything is better than you going out and sacrificing yourself! Besides, I need you here to help me with these kids; I can't handle all them by myself. There has to be a place to hide somewhere close by!" The ground under them trembled almost faintly.

The Collector was almost upon them.

Sensing their time was short Buttercup, for once, didn't argue. "Fine, we'll think of something else, but we need to go. Now!" With that, she ran over to the group and started pushing them to move again. Bubbles joined her sister a second later and together they corralled the kids and Jessica down the street at a run.

Buttercup ran to the front of the group and took the next left they came upon, leading them steadily away from the safety of Trevor Station. With each step, Bubbles felt her fear begin to grow.

Where to hide? Where to hide?! She had to think! There must be someplace around here that could offer them safety!

She struggled to call up her mental map of the area, but she rarely ran out this far on her scavenging missions, it was hard for her to remember even a single place that might offer them some form of protection.

Dry cleaners off of Abrams? No.

Department store off of O'Conners? No!

Yang's Thai restaurant off of Weber? NO!

None of those would help!

'Come on think woman! Think!' A loud crash reverberated through the air and a tremor ran through the ground, causing everyone to stumble. All thoughts of safety flew from the blonde's mind as she looked back. Unless she was seriously mistaken, the Collector had just jumped the cliff they had been at barely a minute before. Shit!

Buttercup must have realized the same thing, because she picked up the pace and darted down the next open alley way, anything to get out from the open. The poor kids struggled to keep up, pumping their little legs as fast as they could and surprisingly they managed to match the brunette's pace.

Their speed might seem like a soft jog to her and her sister but to the kids and Jessica, it was probably a full out sprint. It showed. The mad dash was starting to take its toll on Jessica. Slowly she began to falter and fall further behind the group.

Bubbles slowed her pace and stayed by the older woman's side. No way was she leaving her behind, not when they had come this far. Jessica's chest heaved as she struggled to gulp down air into her abused lungs. This was not looking good.

**Whhhvvvvv, clank! Whhhvvvv, clank!**

The sound of the Collector's claws hitting pavement echoed down the brick corridor as they sped through it.

It was so close to them that Bubbles could almost feel it breathing down her neck, if you know, Collectors breathed at all. Robots didn't breathe of course, that was ridiculous. It was like a metaphor or something like th- Dammit! Focus!

Why did panic always make her mind a jumbled mess?

All of the sudden, Jessica stumbled to a stop in front of her and Bubbles was forced to do an impromptu spin to avoid colliding straight into her back.

Why'd she stop? Had she reached her limit? No, right ahead of her was the group of children and Buttercup motioning her to be silent. Bubbles looked at her in confusion.

Buttercup mouthed the word 'wait' to her as she helped Jessica lean against one of the brick walls. The old woman was looking even frailer than before. Her labored breath came out as puffs in the cool night air as she raised a hand to her chest.

"We wait it out, keep quiet." Buttercup whispered faintly.

Bubbles nodded to her and bent down to kneel by the children. Instantly Joseph attached himself to her side, clutching at her arm. She tried to give him a smile but it was a weak and probably did nothing to reassure him. Truth was, she was just as scared as he was. Not for herself, but for the five pairs of eyes that stared uncertainly up at her.

When she had made the decision to help these kids and Jessica, their safety became her responsibility. At first she hadn't thought it a big deal, but now she felt that heavy weight on her shoulders as the clanking got louder and louder down the alley way.

Was this what Blossom felt like leading their base? Did her heart seem to get caught in a vice grip every time she heard of an enemy attack or ambush? No wonder she gnawed at her lip all the time. How did she not implode with worry?

**Whhhvvvvvvv, CLANK!…..**

Joseph buried his sooty blonde head into her shoulder as the Collector's footstep halted. Bubbles was sure her lungs had officially stopped working, as had everyone else's. Not a single one of them moved as the silence stretched on, waiting for the Collector to make its move.

'Keep walking, keep walking, _please_ keep walking.' Bubbles mentally chanted in her head as she counted down the time.

Ten seconds…

Fifteen seconds...

Twenty seconds…

**Whhhhvvvv, CLANK! Whhhhvvvvv, CLANK!**

Sweet air finally refilled Bubbles lungs as she heaved a silent sigh of relief. It was moving, moving away from them thank the Maker.

Somehow, it had missed their heat signatures and kept on going. All they had to do now was sit here and wait until it got far enough away before they worked their way back to Trevor Station. And from there, on to the Resistance base.

A true smile grew on her face, a smile that reflected on the faces of the kids before her. Joseph's big blue eyes peeked out from her leather jacket and she patted his head softly. They were going to be alright now. Everything was going to turn out-

_Cough, cough…cough!_

Bubbles felt her hopes vanish as quickly as they appeared as the harsh coughing echoed loudly through the corridor. Poor Jessica leaned heavily on the wall with both hands covering her mouth, trying to stifle the sound.

Buttercup looked up from her position at Jessica's side and caught Bubbles stare. The retreating steps of the Collector halted as the sound escaped the alley way and rang down the street.

A moment passed…then came the alarm.

The piercing whine exploded in the air and instantly both Puffs were on their feet. Moving purely on instinct, Bubbles hoisted up Joseph onto her hip and tugged Kevin onto her shoulder in a fireman's carry.

A second later she was racing down the alley way as far from Collector as fast as she possibly could. Buttercup followed her a few feet behind with Betty on her back, arms locked around her neck, and John and Erin under each of her arms. Jessica was a step behind her, clutching at her chest as she strained to keep pace.

They managed to escape the alley way and enter a broad avenue before the ground shook and fire boomed behind them. It had spotted them! Seven hells!

Dashing through the rubble strewn streets, Bubbles tried to catch sight of anything familiar. She was so turned around that she had no idea where they even were anymore, or where they were headed. The street signs she ran by were a blur shrouded in darkness.

Where should she even take them? What was she supposed to do? Keep running until the Collector caught them or they collapsed? They were sitting ducks right now; surely anything else would be a better alternative?

Panic might have clouded Bubbles mind but it spurred her legs to run as fast as they could and boy, could they run fast. Even being weighed down by two kids, Bubbles speed was impressive. She was the fastest out of her sisters after all, Buttercup being the strongest, and Blossom being the smartest.

It was as she was bolting down the street that a cry caught her attention. Skidding to a halt Bubbles half turned and looked at the scene behind her. Two hundred meters back Buttercup had slowed to stop and another hundred meters behind her was Jessica, fallen on the ground. She must have tripped on something. The worst part of the whole scene was the eighteen foot tall monstrosity landing heavily on the ground at the mouth of the alley way they had escaped from.

"JESSICA!" Betty's shrill cry pierced the air and right through Bubbles heart.

The old woman struggled to pull herself to her feet, but the Collector was already moving. She seemed to know it was too late as she looked up at Buttercup. It was only thanks to her enhanced hearing that Bubbles was able to discern what she was saying to her sister.

"Leave me! Take them and run, please get them to safety!"

"NO!" Betty let out another cry with tears cascading down her cheeks, but Buttercup ignored the sobbing girl on her back and merely nodded to Jessica.

"I will." With those two words she turned back around and dashed towards Bubbles. "Keep running! GO!"

Years of military living made her body act even though her mind was still focused on the woman being left behind them. Bubbles turned on her heel and dashed to nearest street corner.

The last sight she had of Jessica before disappearing around the corner was of the older woman standing up to her feet and turning around to face her death. After years of fighting, her time had finally come and she was meeting it head on.

Bubbles skidded around the corner and continued her mad race through the streets with Buttercup following right behind her. Seconds later they heard a violent crash.

That was it, no screams, no cries for mercy. Just the crunch of metal hitting pavement and the piercing whine of the Collectors alarm.

It was ironic, in the old movies she used to watch, the heroes always had dramatic deaths. They always had their shining moment when they turned to meet their fate, but that didn't happen in the real world. Here real life heroes died without the fanfare, only a simple sound and then they were gone.

Bubbles blinked back the tears trying to blur her vision as her heart sunk. This wasn't fair! They had been so close!

All the kids were crying out now as the reality of what just happened hit them, poor Betty was the loudest, reaching back behind her yelling out Jessica's name. While it broke Bubbles heart, their cries didn't seem to affect Buttercup as she grimly ran next to her sister. Her face was cast in stone but her eyes shone intensely through the darkness.

Being a soldier for the last seven years and leading a squad of commandos made Buttercup no stranger to death. She had had her fair share of tough decisions, of being forced to leave comrades behind. It never got any easier but their sacrifice was never in vain.

Bubbles drew strength from her sister's determination and gathered her frayed emotions, shoving them to the back of her mind she focused on their immediate situation. Mourning always came after the mission was finished. Right now they still needed to _finish_ the mission and that meant getting these kids back to base alive and in one piece.

She might have failed Jessica, but she wasn't failing these children. Not while she still had breath in her lungs and strength in her legs. They were getting out of this alive, one way or another.

* * *

**A/N: And there ends our dramatic chapter! Dun dun dun! There, one less OC you have to keep track of. I do feel kind of bad for introducing her and then killing her off but it had to be done. **

**Oh yeah, just a small note. From here on out most chapters will be duel POVs. Drop me a review to let me know how that turns out. Or just to say hi. I'll take either.**

**Next Chapter: Things heat up, literally, for our two heroines as they try and escape. As for the Boys, will Butch ever get to use his wonderful ideas? You'll just have to wait until next Saturday!**

**Have a good one guys!**


	14. Chapter 14 - Right on Time

Chapter 14 – Right On Time

Tap…. …..tap…. .

Brick massaged his furrowed brow as the incessant tapping broke the silence of the rooftop. He was beyond the point of annoyance now; if that tapping didn't stop soon he was going to murder someone! And it wasn't going to be the Simian guards down below.

Brick slowly turned his head and glared at the source of his frustration sitting on the other side of his blonde sibling.

Butch was slouched back against the edge wall seemingly without a care in the world, gazing up into the star filled sky as he tapped away on his cricket bat. How could he not know how maddening that was?

There still wasn't any rhythm to it! Brick would know, he had been cataloging the patterns for the last forty minutes and nothing! No rhyme, no reason, just like Butch's empty head.

Brick had tried to act like the grown up in this situation, really. He had kept his mouth shut and waited for Butch to grow bored, but for God's sake! Forty fucking minutes! Forty and he was still going strong!

What the hell was wrong with him?!

The redhead slammed a fist into the ground beside his lap and turned viciously towards the Green Ruff. As he opened his mouth, fully intending to rip Butch a new one with as many long and obscure words as possible just to piss him off, Boomer abruptly pushed himself to his feet.

The words died on Brick's tongue as he looked at the blonde quizzically. Boomer seemed intent on something, staring into the distance turning his head this way and that.

Butch noticed his sibling's odd behavior too and finally stopped his inane percussions to quirk an eyebrow at the blonde. "What the hell's gotten into you?"

Boomer ignored Butch and continued gazing at the city scape around him. Brick closed his mouth shut and climbed to his feet, wondering what had attracted Boomer's attention. Butch followed suit and both of them stood waiting for the blonde to respond.

A few moments later, Boomer finally pinned down whatever it was he was looking for. He lifted up a hand and pointed southwards. "There….do you hear that?"

Brick paused and struggled to listen for the sound…but he heard nothing. From the look on Butch's face, he got the same results.

Boomer turned his head towards his brothers. "Well? Do you?"

"Butch's stupidity? Yes, loud and clear, other than that? No, I don't hear anything." Brick said as he shook his head with a frown.

The Green Ruff sent a disgruntled glare at him but that, like usual, had no effect. Butch didn't respond to the jab verbally, instead he turned back to the outpost below them and checked on the gate. "Whatever it is, who cares? Ain't got nothing to do with us. We need to focus on that gate."

Brick rolled his eyes at Butch's single mindedness. The gate hadn't changed for the last hour; it wasn't likely to change anytime soon. He closed his eyes once more and tried to listen to the sound that caught Boomer's attention, his curiosity was quipped. It was better than listening to the amazing musical capabilities of Butch at least.

The wind blew past him gently; the sounds from the outpost caught his ears: sounds of sentries, of supplies being moved, the mechanical hum of the robots. He pushed that aside and tried to hear beyond it.

Slowly something caught his notice. It was almost imperceptible at first but as he focused in on it, it became clearer.

The distant hollow sound was vaguely familiar but Brick couldn't pin down exactly where he had heard it before. How had Boomer even heard that in the first place? Maybe not using your mouth enhanced your hearing?

"What do you think it is?" The blonde asked him quietly as he opened his eyes.

"I don't know….but I want to find out. Come on….Butch." Brick softly called back to his brother as he trotted towards the stairwell.

"Wha-wait, what? Where the hell are you guys going?" Butch kept his position back the wall edge and looked at them utterly confused.

"We're checking out that sound, move your ass." Brick called back as he started down the steps, ignoring the sputtered objections that followed his command.

He had learned over the years that the best way to get Butch to do what he wanted was either, put the fear of God in him and threaten him with bodily harm or simply give him no choice but to follow orders. With both him and Boomer already halfway down the stairs, Butch wasn't left with much choice.

Brick allowed a small smirk as he heard the last Ruff start down the steps, grumbling under his breath.

He didn't see what Butch was upset at; the outpost wasn't going to change anytime soon. If anything, he should be excited for this anomaly, it was something to do at least. Butch was all about spontaneity. He must really want to attack that base bad.

The air was a bit warmer down at ground level with all the buildings sheltering them from the wind. Taking a quick look around, Brick assured himself that there were no patrols about before moving at a light jog down the sidewalk.

His brothers kept pace behind him with surprising silence, surprising from Butch that was. His grumbling had stopped the moment they left the safety of the building. Maybe there_ were_ some electrons firing in that thick skull of his. Enough for him to keep his mouth shut when they were enemy territory at least.

They continued onward towards the sound for several minutes, the hollow drone resolved itself into a mechanical thrum and a series of dull clanking. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was creating it, there was only one predator in Old Townsville and it had a distinctive noise.

There was something off about it though, a haste was in the rhythm where normally it carried a slow, sedate pace. That bugged Brick. A lot. It tugged at his curiosity and while his brain was telling him to turn around and go back to the outpost, his intrigue urged him onward.

Damn his need to know everything.

Brick slowed to a walk and looked around. It was around midnight he guessed and darkness covered every crevice, nook, and cranny. Where to get the best vantage point? There was any number of taller buildings, rising eight or more floors. Which one was best?

It didn't really matter in the end he supposed, as long as it would get him a view of the Collector. Brick picked the building closest on his left and tried the door. It swung open with hardly any effort.

Perfect.

It was as they climbed the stairs that Butch's miraculous silence was finally broken. "Why the hell are we climbing this building? Let's go back, we know what the damn noise is now! It's only a Collector, nothing new, who cares?!"

Brick glanced at him from over his shoulder. "Yes, it's a Collector, but can't you hear the rhythm of its footsteps? It's after something and I want to know what."

Butch paused at the landing of the last flight of stairs and gaped at Brick incredulously. "Let me get this straight….You want to go looking for the Collector that's in predator mode?"

Brick shrugged at the accusation. Pretty much.

"What the hell man! You always get on my case for searching out 'dangerous situations'." Butch illustrated his point with finger air quotations. "And now you wanna run head long into one of the worst! I call double standards! That's not fucking fair!"

"Guess what? Life's not fair, in fact life's pretty much bitch out to screw you over. Doesn't matter anyway, I'm the leader and what I say goes. Sucks for you." Brick left Butch to his angry sputters, and shoved open the door to the roof.

He briefly heard Boomer mutter something back down the stairs but he couldn't quite make it out. Probably something about calming down, like that would work on Butch. No matter.

Brick came to a stop in the middle of the roof. The sound was clearer up here with no buildings to warp it. He cocked his head and listened …the Collector was definitely in predator mode and chasing after something, but what?

He had an inkling.

Boomer passed him silently and stood near the edge, shoving his hands into his pockets while he searched the cityscape for any signs.

Stomping boots followed by a hand rudely landing on his shoulder diverted Brick's attention away from the sound and instead towards his muscular brother glaring at him. A gloved finger was shoved barely an inch away from his face.

"You're a selfish dick, you know that?" The previous anger in Butch's tone was nearly gone now, whatever Boomer had said worked somehow.

Will wonders never cease?

The only problem was now Butch was sulking; time to nip that in the bud if he ever hoped to get the Green Ruff to help them find the damn Collector.

"And you're a dumbass. Now, are you going to go pout in a corner? Or help us find out what that Collector is chasing?" Brick asked him with a quirked eyebrow.

"I don't pout! Who do you think I am? Boomer? God! What does it even matter who the Collector's chasing? Probably some stupid refugee from New Townsville like always. They're gonna be dead in a minute anyway. This has just been a giant waste of time. We could have taken the outpost by now!"

Brick rolled his eyes at his brother's melodramatic, whining tone. Pulling away from Butch's grip, Brick walked up and stood next to his youngest brother.

"In case you haven't noticed, we are a rather long way from New Townsville." Brick replied as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked out. Where was that Collector?

"Yeah, so? What's that have to do with anything?" Butch scoffed as he took his place on Boomer's other side, following his brother's lead and looking for any sign of the metal monstrosity.

Brick rolled his eyes briefly. "Think Butch, how many people from New Townsville actually make it across the Divide?"

The brunette shrugged. "I don't know….one in every ten maybe?"

"Exactly, and out of that ten percent, how many actually make it more than a mile into the ruins?"

Butch shot him a bewildered look. "Ten percent? Where the hell did you get that? I said one out of every ten. That's one percent." He scoffed at what he perceived was a miscalculation on Brick's part.

Brick stared at the brunette for a few seconds in wonder. He wasn't that thick, was he? It wasn't possible anyone was that stupid. Yet despite his older brother's disbelief, Butch continued to chuckle, muttering about 'supposed geniuses' between his bouts of mirth.

He really was that much of an idiot.

It was a struggle not to slap a hand on his face, it really was, but somehow Brick managed it. Instead, he drew a deep breath. 'Patience Brick….he doesn't know he's that obtuse, patience.'

He changed his gaze from Butch's laughing form to Boomer, but the blonde was ignoring the both of them in favor of looking at the city below. Maybe he was smarter than Brick gave him credit for. Heaven knew Brick would have loved to ignore Butch at the moment.

Instead he took another deep breath and tried to explain the situation to his simpleton brother again.

"Fine Butch, how many of those, one out of every ten, actually make it more than a mile into the ruins?" He asked again.

The brunette stopped chuckling and thought about the question. A few seconds later he shrugged blandly. "…None really…"

Finally! The dots were in place, time to connect them for the imbecile.

"So, if we're fifteen miles away from the New Townsville and refugees don't make it more than a mile into Old Townsville, don't you think it's a bit odd that a Collector is chasing someone so deep inside the ruins?"

It was fascinating, in a morbid way, to see the comprehension dawn on his brother's face as he thought through Brick's question. What must it be like to have that slow of a thought process? Ugh, what a terrible curse. Thank God he got the brains out of the three of them.

"You think it might be the Puffs?" The Green Ruff asked.

"Exactly, now help us look."

"Found it." Both men blinked at Boomer's abrupt intrusion into the conversation.

The blonde pointed out an area a mile away and sure enough, the telltale signs of a Collector chase were there. A cloud of smoke was slowly rising into the night sky illuminated by several flashes of light, probably the Collector firing its flamethrowers if he were to guess. If the Collector was bringing out that much fire power there was a very good possibility it was chasing what he just happened to be seeking as well.

"Let's go boys."

Brick turned from the roofs edge and started running for the stairs, his brothers seconds behind him. This time when they met a Puff it would actually turn out right! He was going to use everything in his power to make damn sure of that!

* * *

Fwoosh!

Buttercup danced to the side as a stream of fire char grilled the road behind her. The air shimmered and embers flew past her as the street ignited and years of trash became kindling for the flames.

The heat chocked her lungs and made each step feel heavier than the last, but she pressed on. To stop was certain death, not only for herself, but for the three kids clinging desperately to her.

Over the whine of the Collector's alarm and crackling of the flames she could hear the choked sobs from the kids in her grasp. They had a right to be afraid, for the past fifteen minutes it had been an all-out sprint against the inevitable through an obstacle course of rubble, flames, and deadly harpoons. Hell, she kinda wanted to cry too….if she was weak like that, thankfully she wasn't.

She was surprised they had even made it this long against the robot behind them. Bubbles still maintained the lead and kept them moving in random zig zag patterns; taking turns down streets and alley ways alike to keep them out from the open.

As miraculous as their continued survival was, Buttercup knew it couldn't last much longer. Both her and her sister were slowing down as time wore, even little malnourished kids got heavy when you carried them as you ran for lives.

They were stuck in a race they couldn't afford to lose, but couldn't hope to win.

Buttercup drew a perverse sort of amusement from that. In the end it wouldn't matter how long they ran or how fast, they couldn't hope to escape the Collector chasing after them, but that didn't stop her or Bubbles from trying everything in their power to do so. She was always told she was too stubborn for her own good.

True enough.

Buttercup dodged to the side once more as three small harpoons skewered an overturned truck; the force of the impact sent it rolling end over end before it skidded to a stop, sending up a shower of sparks as it slowed.

This chase was getting more and more dangerous as time wore on. At first, the Collector had stuck with it's usually assault of harpoons but that soon escalated as she and Bubbles dodged away from them time and time again. Fire now shot at her back along with eight foot metal spears and whatever else the Collector could throw at her. Cars, trash cans, kiosks, anything and everything it could rip from the ground.

Nothing had connected yet, but the close calls were getting uncomfortably closer as she ran on. Whether this was because she was tiring or the Collector was correcting its aim, she had no clue. It didn't really matter anyway, only the fact that she could be hit did.

Jumping over a pothole, Buttercup readjusted her grip on the kids in her arms. John squirmed to grab a better hold on her. Good thing he did, already she had accidently lost a hold of the little boy a few times and his foresight was the only thing that kept him from tumbling to the ground.

How did this tiny little kid get so damn heavy? He certainly hadn't been like that when she first picked him up, but then again, fear and dread weighed her arms down as much as fatigue. Who wouldn't feel those things with a Collector less than three hundred meters behind you?

Even with that, carrying three kids should have been a cake walk, well cake run technically. Hell, she had carried men three times this kid's weight through hostile fire and never batted an eyelash or felt as much strain.

This was different though, it was like an extra weight was added to her shoulders when these kids trusted their lives to her care. The thing about soldiers were that they were trained in the art of war, they knew exactly what they were getting into when they picked up their weapons and went to battle. They were ready to fight for their beliefs, and if necessary, to die for them.

These kids, they hadn't signed up for any of this. It wasn't their fault that they had been thrown right into the middle of a war. There was no choice in the matter; this fate had been pushed upon them by her failure so long ago.

The thought made her cringe but it was the truth. Buttercup Utonium didn't run from the truth, she faced it like she did everything else: head on. It really was her and her sisters' fault this was all happening, if they had fought harder, tried more, anything really, this whole thing would be just a bad dream. The terrified children holding onto her could have had a normal life without a worry in the world.

Instead they were hunted like dogs…and once found, killed like them too.

When Buttercup had taken these kids under her protection she had made a promise to get them safely to base, but that was now looking like a promise she couldn't keep. A heavy frown furrowed her brow at the thought.

Dammit! A Powerpuff always kept her promises; at least, that was what she was supposed to do. This couldn't be an exception to the rule, she wouldn't let it be. Not here, not with these kids, not now.

Some way, somehow they were getting to base. She was going to keep these kids safe come hell or high water, which was an appropriate turn of phrase seeing as she might very well be visiting those fiery gates rather soon.

The sentiment caused Buttercup to pick up her pace with renewed vigor. She could do this, she would do this! Nothing was going to stand in her way.

She glanced over her shoulder, through Betty's wild hair, at their would be executioner clambering ever closer behind them.

Okay, maybe that would.

The Collector was slowly gaining on them, traveling quickly over the cluttered roads. Its clawed limbs tore up the ground and crushed any obstacle in its path. Nothing slowed it down, nothing really could. It was like being an ant and watching a lawn mower bearing down on you. If the sharp parts didn't kill you, the blunt force trauma would.

"ALLEY! LEFT!" Bubbles shout from up ahead alerted Buttercup to their course change. She could barely distinguish her sister darting into the corridor through the gloom but she could still see enough to follow her lead.

Instinct made her duck just in time to avoid decapitation as she entered the alley way, the metal spear intended for her skull drove through the wall to her right instead. Pieces of brick pelted her and her charges as the wall was crushed inward.

Buttercup winced as a piece caught her above the eye. Seconds later, blood seeped down her brow and clung to her eyes lashes. Blinking repeatedly, she tried to clear away the liquid that threaten to blind her.

Augh! What she wouldn't give to have just one hand free right now!

Escaping into the alley way gave them a few precious seconds lead on the robot while it tried to find a way to follow them through. Unfortunately, it was a quick learner.

Tremors shook the ground as the Collector threw itself onto the buildings that sheltered the alley way and it began scaling them. Still, it took more time for the robot to climb than it took them to run straight through. Thank God Bubbles had capitalized on that fact.

"RIGHT!" Once again Buttercup followed her sister's directions as she nearly flew from the alleyway…and then stumbled to complete stop at the sight of the street before her. The Green puff spit out a vicious curse

All the roads and avenues they had previously run through had been relatively empty. Sure there were a few cars and semis, but not enough for a city this size. It had been vaguely swimming through her mind, wondering where all the cars had run off too.

Well, now she knew.

Before her, rows and rows of cars and buses stood bumper to bumper, filling up each lane for miles along the broad thorough fare they had raced into. Bubbles had led them right onto one of the main roads cutting through Old Townsville and it was jammed packed. It was a mass exodus frozen in time, the only thing missing were the people.

There was no way they could run through this and maintain their lead on the Collector; it was going to take forever to weave through all these cars carrying her passengers. They made maneuvering hard enough as it was.

They needed to move on to another alley or side street before that Collector crossed the rooftop and got them in its sights again. If that happened, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Buttercup took off, sticking to the sidewalk. "This is BAD!" She shouted up ahead to her sister who was already dashing ahead of her.

"I KNOW!" Bubbles shouted right back while she looked to and fro, searching for an alternate route.

"JUST PICK THE NE-"Buttercup was cut off as an air conditioning unit crashed into the ground directly in her path. Running as fast as she was, there was no time to stop or adjust her course and she careened right into it.

The air exploded from her lungs as her momentum carried her head over heels across the top of the conditioning unit and deposited her face first into the sidewalk on the other side.

Buttercup grimaced as she struggled to recover from the unexpected collision. Air refilled her abused lungs and the sharp pain that assaulted her face died down after a second, still, it was hard to push herself up.

She managed to get her hands underneath her and…..wait….her hands were empty. Her hands weren't supposed to be empty, there had been kids- SHIT!

The disorientation from the fall disappeared as Buttercup shoved herself up to her knees and looked around frantically for any sign of the children.

There!

Relief flooded her as she spied Betty cradling her hand against her chest five feet ahead. Erin was there too, curled up into a protective ball and sobbing into her tiny arms. Two out of three…what about John?

Looking left and right, Buttercup found no signs of the little boy and fear started creeping up her spine again. Where the hell was he?! He couldn't have flown far!

She tried to climb to her feet when a loud CLANK rang out directly behind her. The accompanying tremor threw her off balance and sent her sprawling once more into the concrete. The Green Puff recovered much quicker this time around and sat up, spitting out a mouth full of dirt and ash, to look at the disturbance.

As if she didn't already know what it was.

Leering down at her, the large glaring red eye pinned her with its emotionless gaze. For a moment, one single irrational moment, her heart stopped, her lungs seized, and Buttercup Utonium sat there, completely frozen in fear.

Any person in their right mind would have given up right then and there, would have pissed themselves and thrown in the towel, realized that they were hopelessly outclassed with no way out. Laid down and died.

Thankfully, Buttercup wasn't in a right state of mind, she was desperate. And desperate people did whatever they had to do to survive.

In Buttercup's case that was picking up the nearest rock she could grab and hurling it with all her might at the Collector's eye. The impact couldn't have injured it in way, it was a rock, but it did serve as a distraction. And any distraction was a good distraction as long as it kept the Collector from running her through or flame broiling her.

The Collector seemed confused as the small object crashed into its metal plated exterior. As if wondering if that was supposed to actually hurt it or not. Buttercup seized the opportunity to jump to her feet and grab another rock.

"GO!" She yelled at the two girls behind her as she chucked the rock at the robot again. The impact didn't even make a dent. Note to self, robot beats rock…badly.

While Erin was still curled into a ball of pity and fright, Betty at least was clear minded enough to instantly obey Buttercup's command. Smart girl. She used her good hand to haul Erin to her feet and half dragged her as she raced down the sidewalk towards Bubbles.

Her sister had noticed her fall and stood staring at her indecisively with wide blue eye. Knowing the blonde, Bubbles was probably struggling between using this opportunity to get farther away from the Collector and save the kids or come running back to save her. Well, she wouldn't get a choice in the matter.

"RUN BUBBLES! Take the kids and run!"

For an instant it looked as if the Blue Puff would rebel against her order, but that moment passed as Betty and Erin reached her. Bubbles gave her sister a brief nod before running off with the two girls in tow.

That only left John. There was still no sign of him. Seriously, where the hell was he?!

Buttercup jumped to the side as a series of small harpoons hissed by her arm. That was quickly followed up by a spray of fire that nearly caught her in the face. The heat of the flames pressed down on her as she somersaulted out of the way. Obviously the Collector was done playing; it was time to finish its prey.

Coming out of her somersault, Buttercup used her momentum to catapult herself over the conditioning unit once more. Vaulting over the other side, she nearly landed on a small shivering mass lying on the ground.

John!

Buttercup grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him out of the way of another chain of harpoons.

This Collector was not letting up in the slightest. Buttercup didn't know how long she could dodge an assault like this at this range. They needed to get out of the danger zone fast. Some place she could actually maneuver in. She hoisted John up into her arms and briefly assessed his injuries as she avoided more flames.

The poor boy seemed out of it, with good reason. There was a massive gash that arched from his forehead back into his hair line. Blood matted down his dark brown hair and his eye stared unfocused into the distance. All signs were there for a concussion, he must have hit the air conditioning unit head on.

"Come on John, stay awake." Was all Buttercup could say before she was forced to twist out of the way of a huge claw diving at her.

The impact nearly caused her to lose her balance but she maintained her footing and staggered away as best she could. More claws rained down from above as the Collector closed in to finish her and the little boy off.

The Green Puff danced around blow after blow, each one coming down with enough force to crush a car in half. One hit and she'd be squished like a bug, not a comforting thought. Being so focused on the assault from above, Buttercup failed to notice one of the claws ripping itself from the ground and come sweeping at her from behind.

**Wham!**

Pain exploded through her back as she was completely blindsided and sent flying through the air into the sea of vehicles cluttering the street.

Buttercup had just enough time to curl protectively around John before the both of them slammed into the roof of an abandoned car. Despite her tight hold, the little boy flew from her hands and bounce across the roof before rolling off onto the street below.

A groan passed through her lips as Buttercup tried to pull herself from the collapsed roof. She had to get John, had to grab him and run. The effort to drag herself out caused pain to stab through her back. She fell back down with a gasp and took a second to simply breathe. Every inhale sent a burning sensation through her lungs.

Son of bitch that hurt. A back full of bruised ribs, maybe even a couple fractured ones. Another wave of fire burned as she inhaled once more.

Definitely some fractured ribs.

Wonderful, just what she needed. Fighting through the pain with gritted teeth, Buttercup rolled from the roof of the car and landed on her feet on the street below. She was proud to admit she only staggered a little on the landing.

John laid before her looking around in confusion. Poor kid probably had no idea about what was going on or where he even was. She lurched forward and bent down to pick him up when a hiss caught her ear.

That was right before a three foot piece of sharpened metal ripped through her left shoulder and out the other side, barely avoiding John's head. She couldn't contain a cry of pain as blood sprayed from her wound and she fell to the ground on top of him.

A haze clouded Buttercup's senses as she tried to regain control of her body. Her arm felt like slab of dead meat as it twitched unceremoniously. Tingles ran down her shoulder and blood steady flowed from the thin puncture wound.

No intense pain though, either the nerves around the wound had been severed or her adrenaline was kicking into over drive. Whichever one it was, she was thankful for it. Buttercup tried to flex her hand and was relieved to find it responded to the commands her brain sent, albeit a bit sluggishly. That meant the muscle damage was minimal. That was one good thing.

**CRASH! Whhhvvvvv CLANK!**

Abruptly the cars beside her and John were lifted up in the air and thrown aside as the Collector cleared the area surrounding them.

**Whhhvvvvv CLANK!**

The Collector halted directly over top of them, its red eye pining them down. All eight claws were firmly planted in the ground as a cavity opened up underneath its eye and began emitting a soft glow. The glow continued to grow brighter as turbines whirled inside the robot's patched iron casing.

The laser, she had almost forgotten they had those.

Although it was one of their most powerful weapons, it wasn't one of their most used. The damn thing took a long time to power up, especially when you could simply skewer your prey with a dozen harpoons in the same amount of time.

Well, it wasn't like she was going anywhere, the fucking robot could afford to take its sweet time.

She shakily pushed herself to her hands and knees, taking as much weight off her shoulder as possible. The effort caused a sheen of sweat to drip down her face and a new wave of blood to gush from her wound.

Still curled up on the ground below her, John let out a frightened whimper. He knew what was coming, even the haze fogging his mind right now couldn't block out the sense of their impending death. Unfocused eyes gazed up at her imploringly but the only thing she could think to do was smirk down at him softly. She was all out of tricks.

The laser glowed brightly behind her, causing sharp shadows to dance vividly across the ground. The whirl of the turbines filled Buttercup's ears and she heaved a ragged sigh.

This was it.

Using her damaged arm, she patted John's head softly. "It's okay, I'm here with ya." She said gently. The boy seemed to relax at her words and kept his gaze focused at her bright green eyes as they waited for the end to come.

The whirling machinery came to a crescendo and Buttercup had one last thought before they fired.

'Those fiery gates better be damn impressive.'

She shut her eyes tightly.

A harsh wind blew past her and a loud CRACK rang through the air. Bursts of crackling electricity replaced the sound of the whirling turbines and the bright light suddenly dimmed, the shadows it cast fleeing back into the darkness.

Buttercup's eyes snapped open and she realized her flesh hadn't been seared off her bones yet. Incredulously, she looked back over her shoulder and saw the reason why.

The harpoon still wobbled as it stood, buried two feet straight into the laser port of the Collector. The machinery sparked and smoke billowed into the wind until a small blast ignited from the cavity.

The explosion ripped open the Collectors metal chassis and sent parts cascading through the air. The force of it rocked the Collector back until it stood precariously on only two of its eight clawed appendages.

Buttercup shielded John from the rain of debris as it fell around them. After a few seconds, the torrent slowed and she raised her head again. Maybe that blast was enough to finish the robot off? It might have been small, but an explosion from inside was far more damaging from the outside. It could have taken out a vital system or two.

Turning around to sit up, Buttercup saw her hopes were unfounded. The Collector won the struggle to regain its balance and planted its claws back firmly into the street, sending up small clouds of dust and ash.

Dammit! Why were these things so fucking durable? Even though there was an impressively large chuck of its chassis missing in the front, the damn thing looked to be fully operational…and deadly. The blast didn't even phase it as it focused its eye back onto her and John, the red glare flickering only slightly through the gloom.

"Buttercup! Get up!" Two hands slid under her arms from behind and pulled her up off the ground before she recognized the sweet voice.

She was left staggering on her own as the arms of her sister retreated and Bubbles came from behind to scoop John up.

"Don't just stand there, hurry!" Bubbles called as took off in a run.

That was easier said than done, with a grimace Buttercup forced her tired legs to chase after the Blue Puff as she darted in between cars back towards the sidewalk. A brace of small harpoons peppered the ground behind her as she moved.

That Collector was not giving up. How many harpoons did that thing have? Shouldn't it have run out by now?!

Adrenaline pumped through her veins and the sharp pains of her ribs and shoulder dulled down to a light throb. With her second wind Buttercup managed to avoid the projectiles firing at her back and catch up to her blonde sister.

"You? The harpoon?" Buttercup managed to grunt out between breaths.

Bubbles nodded. "Well it was a lot more effective than rocks, no offense."

"None taken, where are the others?"

The blonde was about to answer when a Fwoosh came up from behind. The two sisters sprang apart and let a jet of fire pass between them. Buttercup grimaced at the heat of the flames and leaned as far away from it as possible. She already had a messed up ribs and a hole the size of a quarter through her shoulder, she didn't need third degree burns on top of it all.

The flames died down quick enough and she rejoined her sister as they ran on.

"The kids are around the next corner." Bubbles belatedly answered while nodding to the intersection they were fast approaching.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting." The Green Puff put on more speed and pivoted around the corner far more gracefully than she thought possible in her condition. Her sister followed only a second behind.

Their sudden entrance startled the four kids leaning against the building wall so badly that all of them jumped at least six inches into the air. Joseph squeaked as he stumbled on his landing and fell ungracefully to his butt. Bubbles scooped him up a moment later and looked back at Buttercup.

"Can you carry one of them?"

She answered by getting down on one knee and nodding to Betty. "Get on kid, watch the shoulder. Erin, here."

Betty climbed carefully onto her back, taking extra care not to bump her bloodied shoulder, while Buttercup picked up Erin with her functional arm. Standing up, Buttercup saw Kevin now clutching her sister's shoulders with a frightened but also excited look in his eye.

That crazy kid, he reminded her way too much of herself at that age.

**Whvvvvvv CLANK!**

And that was the sign telling them it was time to go.

They were already a hundred meters away when the Collector rounded the corner. Thankfully this street wasn't quite as crowded with vehicles and allowed them more room to dodge around the flying harpoons and jets of fire shot at their backs from behind.

Even with the lead the Collector began to gain ground on them, their extended escape had taken its toll on the two young ladies. No amount of adrenaline could lighten the dead weight of Buttercup's legs or her ragged breathing. The same was true for Bubbles; the blonde stumbled on a stray tire and nearly bit the dust before she caught herself.

Their chance for total escape was virtually nonexistent now and both of them knew it. Even so they would have kept running until their legs gave out... if it hadn't been for the semi-trailer that crashed into ground in front of them and cut off their route.

Both women skidded to a stop and gazed at the trailer in dismay. It stretched out across the entire street and blocked off any hope of escape.

Turning around, Buttercup growled at the sight of the Collector approaching menacingly through the smoke. The burning cars threw splashes of oranges and yellows across its pock marked, scarred frame and flickering in the darkness, the red eye glared down at them.

Overall, it was a very hellish sight indeed.

Erin clutched desperately at her vest as the hellion slowed to a stop and towered over them. Its joints creaked and groaned as it settled down.

At least they had managed to damage it as much as it had them. That one thought brought a smirk to Buttercup's face. Like her old drill sergeant used to say, 'If you're going down, take as many bastards with you as possible.' Well it wasn't much, but that damn robot was definitely going to need some tender loving care after this encounter.

Buttercup slowly knelt down and set Erin's feet on the ground. The little girl refused to relinquish her hold on the Green Puff's vest however and only sobbed harder into her shoulder. Betty slid down from her back and joined the impromptu group hug, leaving Buttercup with no choice but to hold the two young girls tightly.

Poor kids, they were so young.

Buttercup looked over to see Bubbles still holding John and Joseph in her arms; Kevin hid behind her legs and glared out petulantly at the Collector. For some reason, the scene caused a small chuckle to rise up in her throat. It was entirely inappropriate for the situation, but something about that kid made her laugh. He had guts, that was for sure.

A loud clunking sound emitted from the Collector as it switched out its smaller harpoons for the larger ones. It was a more mercifully quick death at least.

While the robot loaded its weaponry, Buttercup took a moment to look at all the kids. She wished she could have kept her promise and delivered them safely to the base. From Kevin's blatant outgoing disregard for following orders to Joseph's shy unassuming manner, all of them were characters in their own right. They probably would have been a riot to have around. The base could have used a little more laughter, especially Blossom.

The brunette's smirk died as she thought about her older sister. What she feared most was about to come true, both of her sisters were going to die and she would be left on her own.

Blossom couldn't handle being on her own dammit!

Who would chastise her when she worked too hard? Or make sure she actually went to bed instead of pouring over those stupid maps? Who was she going to trust to lead the raids when she finally got around to starting them? Those were her and Bubbles jobs! She needed them, just like they needed her.

They were a team…a family. Tears welled up in her bright green eyes as the situation fully sunk in.

Fuck! This wasn't fair!

They were the good guys! They weren't supposed to die by some nondescript machine in the middle of fucking nowhere! They were supposed to rise up and over throw Mojo, to bring down his empire and restore the world to its rightful balance and all that crap.

The clanking stopped as the Collector finished changing its weapon and it leaned down towards them. A ragged tired sigh escaped the Green Puffs lips. Well, like it or not, this was the end and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

What a shitty way to die.

**...THUNK!**

The hollow sound echoed through the ruined street as every occupant froze. A large piece of broken concrete bounced off the top of the Collector and tumbled to the street before rolling to stop inches in front of her. Buttercup blinked at the rubble.

…What...the hell?

"YOU DUMBASS!"

The cry caused both Buttercup and Bubbles to divert their attention from the robot and look behind it.

Three figures stood by one of the burning cars. The one in the middle was still hunched over from his throw while the other two looked at him in different states of shock.

The individual on the thrower's right was the most shocked out of the two, judging by the way he clutched at his short black hair with his mouth agape. The other one was little more dignified in his reaction as he simply fixed an incredulous glare at the thrower, the firelight making his memorable red cap recognizable even at this distance.

…No way…..no _fucking_ way.

Buttercup rubbed at her eyes to make sure it wasn't just the firelight playing tricks on them. She looked back up and blinked a couple times.

...nope they were still there.

The Rowdyruff Boys had just saved their lives.

…WHAT?!

The Collector straightened and turned ominously towards the new intruders. The thrower, who could only be Boomer, stood up and took a nervous step back.

**Whvvv CLANK!**

With that one step, the three young men snapped out of their respective dazes and things started happening all at once.

Brick snatched up a piece of nearby rubble and launched it at the Collector like his younger brother had. Boomer followed suit a moment later and the two of them fully captured the Collectors attention.

"What the hell are you two doing?!" Butch yelled out as he alternated glaring at his brother and the Collector, not sure which of the two deserved his ire more.

"Just shut up and RUN!" Brick yelled back as he turned tail and began racing down the street into the darkness.

"You don't need to fucking tell me twice!"

Boomer stood a moment longer and looked away from the Collector towards the girls.

"Run!" With that, he chucked one last rock and booked it after his brothers.

With new prey in its sights, for some strange wonderful miraculous reason, the Collector completely forgot about the girls and the children they held. It lumbered after the boys, firing off its harpoons into the darkness.

Buttercup knelt, frozen in shock, as the last vestiges of clanking disappeared into the night and they were left completely alone.

"Did….did we just-they…the….eh..huh?" Buttercup trailed off uncertainly with no words able to fully express her astonishment at their narrow escape from death.

"…yeah…" Bubbles reply was no better as the two of them continued looking into the darkness where their rescuers had run off into.

They probably would have remained that way for a good long while if Kevin hadn't of spoken up, the silence finally getting to his little ADHD hyperactive mind.

"Who were those guys?" He asked in awe as he tugged at Bubbles jacket.

She snapped out of her daze and looked down at him uncertainly. "Some people that I thought I knew, but now I'm not so sure."

The boy sent her a confused looked but Bubbles didn't offer anything more. Instead she adjusted the two boys in her arms and walked up to her sister. "Come on Buttercup, we need to get out of here."

The brunette absently nodded. "Yeah…yeah let's go." With a shake of her head she took command of her emotions and assumed her leadership role once more.

"Come on kids. We need to move it." Lifting up Erin into her arms, Buttercup ushered Betty and Kevin to follow Bubbles as she led them in the opposite direction of where the Collector had run off to.

Squeezing through the tight space between the semi-trailer and the brick wall, Buttercup sent one last look back into the darkness.

Her mind was still trying to process all that had happened in the last five minutes. No matter how many times she went over it, it all ended the same.

The Rowdyruff Boys had saved them.

It was with great confusion and the beginnings of a migraine that Buttercup turned back around and followed her sister as she lead them home.

* * *

**A/N: Woooo, that was a long chapter. It might have been a bit too wordy but I think it works rather well. So yes, the Boys save the Girls from certain death (surprise, surprise. Like no one saw that coming) and now they are the prey.**

**Tune in next Saturday for the exciting chase conclusion! It's gonna be good, I'm just saying.**

**Oh! And a super special thank you to Lily975 for the awesome review! It really made my day! Thank you so much! To all you others out there in the cyberspaces, feel free to leave one to and tell me what you think. I like hearing from my readers, both critiques and praises. **

**See you guys next Saturday!**


	15. Chapter 15 – What's a Few Rocks Between

Chapter 15 – What's a Few Rocks Between Siblings?

The world flared orange and yellow as Boomer swerved to avoid a pillar of fire. The flames roared past him and slammed into an old ford pickup.

Within seconds, the molted blue paint had sizzled away and the leather encased interior lit up like a torch. The fires devoured the front of the vehicle before it reached the gas tank and transformed the entire truck into a giant grenade.

The explosion sent shrapnel flying through the air and Boomer was forced to tuck into a roll to avoid becoming a pin cushion. Even so, a piece caught him in the back and caused him to grimace as he came out of his roll. He reached behind and ripped the piece of twisted metal out with a grunt. At least it wasn't that big; barely even the size of his palm.

"OW! God Dammit!"

Butch wasn't so lucky.

The brunette was running just ahead of the Blue Ruff and had been in the blast zone. Small pieces of shrapnel peppered his right arm from shoulder to wrist, a few even managed to sneak past his guard and catch him in the face. Nothing was particularly damaging but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Currently he was scrambling to his feet after being thrown several feet by the blast. Boomer caught up and helped haul him to his feet before they resumed their escape. Butch tried to wipe some of the blood from his face as he threw Boomer a spiteful glare.

"You know Boomer, if this damn Collector doesn't kill you, I sure as hell will!" The smeared blood should have made the threat even more intimidating, but Boomer was getting beyond the point of caring.

The brunette had been throwing out insults and threats at him since he had thrown that damn rock that saved the Puffs. Sure Boomer had expected it to some degree, but after ten minutes straight it was really starting to piss him off.

"I mean seriously! What the hell were you thinking!?"

**VOOM!**

A harpoon saved Boomer from answering as he dodged to the side to avoid it. It whisked dangerously close to his knee before burying into the pavement. How many of those f-ing things did that robot have!? Boomer threw a look over his shoulder at it.

It was definitely looking worse for wear. The hole blasted through its chassis shot out sparks at each movement and smoke swirled from the wound. Its hellish red eye flickered erratically in the darkness. He wasn't sure if that affected its targeting in any way though.

Seeing how it had nearly skewered him three times in the past ten minutes, he was thinking that no, it didn't.

He wished Brick would hurry his ass up and initiate his plan already. Boomer didn't know exactly what the redhead had up his sleeve, but Brick always had a plan. He must have come up with something while they were running for their lives.

The redhead was several meters ahead of him and his brother, leading them God knows where. Boomer hoped it was close, extended periods of time with a Collector never ended well; just look at what happened the last time he was in that kind of situation!

That, of course, led his mind towards a certain blonde woman he had saved minutes ago. He hadn't meant to throw the rock, honestly he hadn't even realized what he had done until it hit the Collector. All he knew is that when he and his brothers ran out into the scene, the girls had been about to be run through. He had a split second to do something, anything to prevent that…so he had.

Now, it might not have been the smartest move he had ever made, far from it he'd admit, but it worked! And when he yelled at the girls to run he caught sight of all the kids with them, so he had even saved them too! That had to count for something right?

"It's a good thing me and Brick are here to save your sorry ass! You wouldn't last a minute on your own!"

Not to Butch apparently.

The blonde sucked in a deep breath through his mouth as he ran beside Butch, trying vainly to control his rising anger. Boomer might not have the extreme temper of his brutish brother or the cold rage that Brick sometimes showed, but that didn't mean he didn't get angry from time to time. It took a lot to get to him, but he had just about all he could handle at this point. If Butch said one more thing….so help him.

Another harpoon shot past him and nearly took of the sleeve of his hoodie. A huge gash along the sleeve let the cold autumn in and goose bumps prickled across his arm.

FREAKING A! He had just got this one! Why did they always target the hoodies! Never the pants, always the hoodies! Dammit!

"This has to be the stupidest shit you've ever done and that's saying something! If I wasn't running for my LIFE I'd kick your ass so far up-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Butch nearly tripped over his own feet as he gaped at the blonde in shock. Even Brick threw a bewildered glance over his shoulder at the Blue Ruff.

"Just shut up okay!? I know what I did was stupid; it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out Butch! And no, I didn't think before I did it! But what would you have be do, let them die?!"

Boomer breathed heavily as he glared at Butch. The tirade might have seemed short coming from anybody else, but from Boomer…it was like reciting the Gettysburg Address. Besides, this day was seriously not going his way and it felt good to yell at something, Butch did it all the time so why couldn't he?

Butch snapped his jaw shut and simply stared at Boomer a few seconds before he got over his shock. When he did, his previous anger came roaring back with a vengeance. He ran up as close to the blonde as possible and glared at him, if they hadn't been running he probably would have hoisted him up the collar instead.

"Don't you fucking dare tell me to shut up! I aughta kick your ass just for that! Who said those Puffs were going to die anyway? They could have had a plan! But we'll never know because _you_ acted before thinking!" He smacked Boomer's shoulder with the back of his hand.

"Oh that's rich coming from you!" Both of them dodged to avoid a slew of harpoons. Damn Collector! Couldn't it see they were in the middle of an argument!

Boomer turned his attention back to Butch. "How could you even think they had a plan?! Their backs were up against a wall and a bunch of kids were hanging on 'em, weighing them down!"

"Well you could of done something better than throw a fucking rock!" The brunette hollered at him as he jumped over the hood of a car.

Boomer rolled his eyes. "What else should I have thrown? My bat? One of your knives? Yeah, that would have worked real well against a METAL PLATED ROBOT!"

"What you SHOULD have done was let Brick handle it! That would have the SMART move!"

Argh! There he went again, insulting his intelligence. He was sick of it! "If I had waited any longer they would have been shish-kabobs! Last time I checked, Brick needed them alive! Although I can understand your confusion given the fact that you NEVER LISTEN!" If the Green Ruff was going to keep on pointing out his flaws then turnabout was fair play.

"Never listen?! You do more than enough of that for both us you mute bastard! At least I TALK! The only thing I ever really hear from you is crying! I'm surprised you're not curled up in a corner right now, bawling your eyes out!" Butch growled out as they glared at each other.

They were so close that their shoulders almost touched. It was surprising they didn't trip seeing as they were more focused on each other than where they placed their feet.

"I haven't cried in six fucking years! If you actually paid attention to anything besides yourself, you'd know that!"

"What makes you think I wanna catalogue your crying?! You think I have nothing better to do with my time?!"

"I KNOW you have nothing better to do with your time!"

Butch raised a fist to punch him. "WHY YOU-"

"BOTH OF YOU! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

The two of them abruptly snapped their heads to look forward. Brick was still running ahead of them but the glare he sent over his shoulder blazed with anger. Ohh he was pissed.

"How am I supposed to think with you two about ready to kill each other? In case you've forgotten there's a Collector more than willing to do that behind us!"

In the face of Brick's ire, Boomer felt his own simmer down quiet suddenly. He blinked, as if waking up from a dream, and remembered the reality of their situation. They were running for their lives with a Collector hell bent on catching them, definitely not the time for an argument.

Butch must have received the same revelation as he moved away from the blonde. There was still anger in his eyes but even he had enough common sense to know this wasn't the time or place to push it. With a nod of truce the two of them sped up and ran to catch their elder brother.

Boomer came up alongside Brick and tossed a look over his shoulder. The mechanical monster was still on their tail, blinding throwing things in hopes of catching one of them. Butch cursed and ducked a thrown mailbox before giving Brick a frustrated look.

"Well, what are we supposed to do about that?" The Green Ruff asked, hooking a thumb behind him.

Brick glanced back with furrowed brows, a light frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. "…I'm not sure." The admission came out grudgingly. Boomer caught the sublet layer of uncertainty coating his brother's voice.

"What?! How can you not be sure?! You always have a plan!" Butch yelled shooting furtive looks at the redhead. Boomer silently nodded his agreement. Brick not having a plan was like saying it snowed in the summer…it just didn't happen.

"I'm not saying I don't have a plan, it's just….it's too risky." Brick muttered loud enough for them to hear as he continued staring in the distance, causally dodging a jet of fire that came roaring up behind them.

Butch ran back into formation once the flame died out. "Not as risky as what's behind us! Who cares, just do it already."

Brick looked at Butch before glancing Boomer's way. The blonde nodded at Butch's sentiment. Anything had to be better than running from a Collector until they collapsed, or worse…ran into more.

"Fine, follow me." Brick picked up his pace and ran around the next street corner, leaving Butch and Boomer in the dark as they followed.

It wasn't until a couple more streets down that Boomer finally recognize where Brick was taking them. Slowly the pieces of Brick's plan starting puzzling themselves together as they got closer and closer to the Simian Outpost that housed the power relay station.

He couldn't be doing what Boomer thought he was.

They turned another corner and one of the gates came into view. The guards were looking curiously in their direction, being able to see the Collector but not what it was chasing after.

Brick wasted no time explaining with words as he sprinted towards the gate, pulling out a knife and the rusted meat hook he used as a weapon.

Oh hell, he was going to do it.

He was going to try and use the Collector as their way into the outpost.

Beside him, Boomer heard Butch let out a vile curse as he too finally realized what Brick was trying to do. The look Butch sent him as he unhooked his cricket bat said he was thinking the exact same thing, Brick had lost mind! It was like jumping into the street to avoid a stray bicyclist on the sidewalk, your chances of fatality were a lot higher in the street.

Unfortunately they had no choice but to follow their crazed leader now, they had gone too far already. Boomer pulled out his bat from the sling on his back with a feeling of resigned dread. This wasn't going to end well.

The poor soldiers at the gate realized too late what was about to happen and balked as the three brothers crashed into them. Boomer felt the crunch all the way up his arm as his bat slammed into one of the troop's temple, crushing his eye socket and sending him flying through the air.

A spurt of blood splattered across his face as he caught sight of Brick from the corner of his eye. The redhead whipped his hook forward to catch a soldier in the throat, leaving a bleeding collar and sending out a spray of red. He used the knife he held in his off hand and drove it into another soldier's eye. The man fell to the ground with an anguished cry before Brick brought his hook around and silenced him.

Butch finished up the last of the four human guards with a flying knee to his jaw. Boomer heard the sound of bone cracking from six feet away. The man crumpled to the ground and Butch used him as a landing pad, driving his knee directly into the guard's sternum.

Then the attack bots came.

The three brothers sprang apart as a swathe of machine gun fire shot out from the gate. The bots had lined up in two rows before the metal entrance way; six crouched down in the front and six standing behind. Their black skull like face stared blankly ahead, but it seemed to Boomer the twin red eyes followed him where ever he moved.

Butch cursed loudly as he and Boomer danced backwards, away from the spray of bullets. The deadly fire separated them from Brick as he too moved about, trying to dodge the hot lead racing around him.

**Whvvvvv CLANK!**

And here came the Collector to join in on the fun.

Joyous occasion.

There had better be more to the plan than just this, cause currently this wasn't a plan at all. This was _suicide_ and Boomer didn't especially want to die today, nor tomorrow for that matter, or any number of days after that. He really shouldn't doubt Brick's ability though; after all they had only lived this long because of his genius. He had something hidden up his sleeve, he had too...

The blonde spun away from another round of gunfire and looked at his eldest brother. Brick had stopped moving away from the gate and instead turned back towards it, running straight into the killing ground. The Collector tried slamming one of its clawed arms on top of him, but the redhead darted around it nimbly.

Oh dear Lord, he was insane.

"BRICK! What the hell are you doing?!" Butch vocalized his thoughts as the brunette caught sight of the kamikaze run Brick was making.

The leader of the Ruffs declined to answer and instead ran through the maze of the Collector claws towards the gate. The attack bots momentarily forgot about Butch and Boomer and focused their fire on the threat running straight for them.

Boomer stared, gob smacked at his leader until a piece of rubble flew by his side and sailed at the group of enemies. It clipped one of the attack bots and knocked it off balance slightly. The blonde turned his head and saw Butch standing up with another rock in his left hand. Butch noticed Boomer switching his gaze between his face and the rock.

The Green Ruff threw the rock at the robots again and shrugged irritably. "Fine, rocks have their uses. Now hurry your ass up and help me unless you want Brick full of lead."

Boomer didn't need to be told twice. Even with the two of them assaulting the line, the robots paid them little attention and kept their fire streaming towards the Ruff's leader. Boomer saw him jerk as a bullet skimmed across the top of his shoulder, ripping a hole in the leather jacket he always wore. At least the blonde wasn't the only one getting his clothing destroyed this raid.

That thought provided cold comfort as another bullet skimmed across the outside of Brick's leg. He stumbled momentarily before regaining his balance and resuming his race.

Brick wasn't alone in his run at the gate; the Collector was hot on heels and tried to squish him with its claws. Gunfire rang sharply through the air as the attack bots inadvertently sprayed the Collector with hot lead. The eighteen foot tall robot took no notice of its ally's fire and instead threw another claw at Brick's back.

"DODGE!" Boomer cried as the claw flew through the air.

Whether Brick heard his cry or reacted purely out of instinct, he hurled himself to the side and the claw sailed pasted him…right through the line of attack bots and into the gate.

The bots flew through the air and landed in twisted, sparking wrecks. The sound of squealing metal caused Boomer to grimace as the claw punched right into the gate and tore it from its hinges. It fell inward with a crash and, with its claw still stuck, dragged the Collector with it.

"Come on!" Brick recovered from his roll gracefully and wasted no time dashing through the newly opened entrance.

"Not exactly a truck but hey it works...that crazy son of a bitch." Butch muttered before making for the gate after his brother. Boomer silently agreed as he followed. That was an insane move but it worked, they had access into the outpost.

Access to an outpost that was now fully alerted to their presence and filled with a hundred or so enemy troops that wouldn't hesitate to kill them. This day just kept on getting better and it wasn't even morning yet!

The Collector was struggling pull its appendage free from the gate's grasp as the two ran underneath its legs and across the threshold. A flurry of shouts greeted them as Simian troops starting flooding into the area with lamps.

Boomer grabbed Butch's arm and dragged him sharply to the left, towards a group of short, squat buildings, before the lights spotted them. The quicker they got out of the open the better, they couldn't hope to defeat that many troops in so large a space.

The small alleys created by the buildings and outpost wall would allow them to filter the troops into smaller, more manageable groups that they could handle. They would need that if the entire outpost was gunning for them now.

Now, where the hell did Brick get off to?

He got his answer as they ran in between one of the buildings and the outpost wall. Brick stood waiting for them clutching at his left arm. It was hard to tell if blood was leaking from the wound due to the dark leather jacket but Boomer assumed he hadn't escape unscathed from his kamikaze run.

"You're insane you know that?" Butch's brusque statement drew the redhead's gaze.

"We can talk about the state of my mental health later, right now we need to get that Collector to chase us to the relay station and knock it out of commission, preferably before the troops find us." Brick answered as he started jogging down the passage. Hearing the shouts of Simian troops behind them, Boomer and Butch eagerly followed.

"How are we going to do that, like the gate?" Butch asked.

"More or less."

"That's reassuring."

"I'm the one that plans before an operation remember? You're the one who pulls off the crazy shit. Give me a break." Brick said as he took the next corner.

Butch shrugged to himself as he followed. Boomer knew he couldn't really argue with that, it was true. The Green Ruff somehow attracted the most insanely dangerous situations and managed to get out of them by the seat of his pants. They were going to need all his luck to pull this off.

The darkness still hid them from searching eyes as they dashed among the buildings, but it wouldn't hide them forever. Already Boomer could hear the shouts getting closer, and along the top of the wall huge spotlights hummed to life. They stood five feet in diameter and shone like miniature suns.

Brick slid to a halt and raised a hand for his brothers to do the same as they came upon an intersection. A soft clattering noise came down from the opposing alley. The three of them pressed themselves tight against the concrete wall and held their breath as the four attack bots clamored into view, their sharp pointed legs tapping a disturbing rhythm.

Boomer watched anxiously as they passed them by, not even a single one turned their head. He didn't know if it was the range of their sensors or the terrible AI that ran them, but the robots never noticed their presence. Thank God for small miracles.

**Whvvvvvv. CLANK!**

The attack bots hadn't noticed them, but that thing sure as hell would. The Collector reminded them of its continued existence as its footstep echoed down the alley.

Brick looked up with a calculating expression on his face, trying to figure out how far away it was. By the frown pulling at his mouth, Boomer guessed it wasn't as far as he would have liked. The soft clattering of the attack bots faded away into the night and let the three cross the intersection and continue on their way.

"Boomer." The redhead whispered back to him as the jogged. The blonde passed by Butch and came up to Brick's side.

"Did you get a good look at the base interior? Did you see where the power relay station was?"

"The northeast corner, near the wall." He answered his brother.

"And we entered from the north gate….it should be up ahead then." Boomer offered him a nod. They hadn't changed direction much, with any luck if they kept running in a straight line they would run into it shortly.

"What about the Collector? Thought about how to use it to destroy the station yet?" Butch asked from behind. Brick's distasteful expression and silence was answer enough.

Butch chuckled lightly. "Amateur, fine. Just get me to that station and then get the hell out of my way."

"YOU have a plan?" Brick threw him an incredulous look over his shoulder.

"It's more of a go with the flow kinda thing." Butch replied with a casual toss of his head.

Brick cocked an eyebrow at him. "…Are you serious?"

"Deadly." Butch flashed an evil grin.

Before Brick could respond, the roof beside them exploded in a shower of dust and concrete rubble. The Collector claw continued on its path of destruction and demolished another building's roof across the way.

Boomer ducked low and threw his arms over head to protect himself from the rain of debris. A couple pieces still managed to smack him square in the head unfortunately and damn, did they hurt. Beanies didn't offer that much protection from falling rubble as you would have thought.

The Collector let out a piercing wail as it spotted its prey once more and tried to slam one of its claws down on them. Butch danced to the side to avoid the impact and directed a maniacal smile at the terror.

"Time to get this party started." He made sure to flip the robot off before running after his brothers. Like the Collector could understand the significance of the gesture. Sometime Boomer was pretty sure Butch was as dumb as Brick always said he was.

In any case, that didn't matter at the moment because a large area of light was leaking over the rooftops from up ahead. If Boomer had to guess, he would say that was where the power relay station was. It made sense that buildings that provided electricity were usually lit up brightly right?

Right.

His theory proved to be correct as Brick led the three of them towards the light. They burst out of the alley way into the open and stumbled to a stop.

Before them, covering most of the ground in front of the station, stood no fewer than forty Simian soldiers and twenty attack bots. Wonderful, maybe they should have been a bit stealthier in their approach?

The Collectors claws of destruction and the gentle electric thrum from the power station were the only sounds that filled the air as all parties stood stock still in shock of each other. Even the attack bots appeared surprised, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to Boomer.

How could robots be surprised? Maybe their AI was just that bad? Was it so slow that it took several seconds to recognize friends from foes and get priority targeting?

Boomer was distracted from his internal contemplation as Brick broke the standstill and began running down the building line, away from the station.

"We'll just get the hell out of your way now Butch!" He called back over his shoulder. Boomer gave the Green Ruff a friendly slap on the shoulder and mumbled 'Good Luck' before taking off after his brother.

Another shower of rubble exploded from the alley way as the Collector caught up with them and proceeded to try and squish Butch with his claws. Even with all the noise, Boomer still clearly heard his middle brother's shout of 'YOU BASTARDS!' as he dodged the deadly claws.

In any other situation he would have been tempted to laugh, but he wasn't in the best of circumstances at this particular moment. Brick was running around the perimeter of the large area surrounding the power station and most of the guards were content with leaving Butch in the Collector's capable claws and focus on them instead.

Gun fire rang out as the troops and attack bots began targeting them. It was all horribly off target, something Boomer was extremely grateful for, but there was so much of it that it was only a matter of time before some of them hit.

Boomer ducked into a roll and came up sprinting as a line of fire torn through the wall right behind his head. Despite the cool autumn air, he was dripping sweat and these close calls weren't helping!

They reached the far side of the opening and the blonde began to wonder what in the world Brick was doing. If they continued running like this, it wouldn't be long before they were full of lead. Shouldn't the Ruff leader have done something by now? Like run back into the alley ways or something? Only way to figure out.

"S-so, ah what are we doing Brick?" Boomer called out as he ducked and weaved.

"Staying alive."

Boomer liked that plan! Unfortunately, it seemed Brick's idea of staying alive was vastly different from his own.

The redhead in front of him suddenly pivoted on his foot and changed his direction, charging straight at the line of soldiers that were shooting at them.

Not this again. He was seriously going to need therapy if he kept pulling these suicide maneuvers.

In hindsight, Boomer could appreciate Brick's plan to render their ranged combat useless and force them to relay on their hand combat skills, but during the actual charge and the following fight…he wasn't so appreciative.

Brick pulled out his hook and knife and slammed into the enemy line. Boomer was only moments behind him with his bat out, cracking skulls and breaking bones. They kept close to the soldiers; staying inside their guard and making them fight in close quarters. It was effective but now they were surrounded on all sides by hostiles with no real escape route. They would have to go through them if they wanted to get out alive.

A gun stock flew out of Boomer's blind side and slammed hard into shoulder, knocking him off balance. He would have tumbled to the ground and become easy prey if it wasn't for Brick catching him by the arm.

The Red Ruff jammed his knife into the attacking soldier's eye and helped steady Boomer as he got his feet back underneath him. Fifteen or so guards were crumpled to the ground around them, but more were flooding into the area and they were still surrounded.

"Thanks." Boomer muttered as he and Brick stood back to back, slowing rotating around to keep all the soldiers in view. Brick nodded silently in reply as he kept his knife high in a guard position.

Boomer nervously licked his lips as he twirled his bat around, loosening up his wrists. There were a lot of guys rushing into the area. The circle of troops surrounding them kept getting deeper and deeper. If they waited much longer they would be over run.

"We, ah…gonna do something?"

"Butch needs more time." Brick said in a low voice. "Keep them busy until he's done."

"How will we know when he's done?"

"You'll know." With that, the two of them broke off from their protective stance and started attacking once more.

Blood flew and cries filled the air as Boomer torn through the enemy lines. Block there, jab here, swing there. Crack! The blonde inwardly cringed as he busted yet another skull. He really hated the sound of breaking bones.

He wasn't sure how long he fought for, how many he took down, or how many times he even got hit but when time started regaining its meaning again; his bat and hands were slick with blood and his breathing was labored.

It couldn't have been that long, the sky was still dark and behind him, he could still hear the Collector's clanking footsteps. Around him, the prone forms of Simian troops and attack bots alike littered the ground, but more were popping up out of the woodwork and rushing the scene.

How many of these guys were there? Between him and his brother, they had to have taken out at least thirty five to forty of them. Wasn't this base only supposed to house a hundred soldiers? They really needed to do better reconnaissance before going on these raids.

Boomer brought his bat up in a guard position and warily eyed the troops closing in on him. Brick was somewhere to his left, but he was probably doing fine on his own judging by the blood and cries filling the air.

The soldiers were nearly upon him and right about to launch a group attack when abruptly, the base lights flickered. All parties halted and looked around in confusion. Boomer directed his attention towards the power relay station.

How Butch managed to hop the fence that surrounded the building and climb onto the roof, he had no idea but he wasn't going to question it. The brunette was hopping around the torn roof top pelting the Collector with a few rocks he held in his hand, shouting out curses and insults in an effort to get the menace to strike at him.

The Collector was only too willing to oblige and shot down claw after claw at the annoying Green Puff with frightening speed. Each time, Butch managed to twist to the side to avoid the deadly bludgeon and instead they punctured the building's rooftop. Once again, a power flux rippled through the base and the lights flickered even more.

Butch took a daring roll that landed him in front of a rather important looking piece of machinery. Well, it looked important to Boomer at least. The machinery was capsule like in shape and covered in twisting wires that ran out along the wall into the darkness. It looked like that was the machine that fed power to the base.

The Green Ruff reached the same conclusion judging by his cheshire grin. Butch gripped his last rock tightly and wound up before hurling it with all his strength at the damaged Collector. The rock sailed straight into the gaping hole in its chassis and hit something with a solid TWACK!

The large robot halted its movements momentarily and focused on Butch, seemingly glaring down at him. Its insides sparked and more smoke spilled out in to the air as two of its claws rose slowly. Like cobras waiting to strike, they slowed and hovered near its red eye.

"Come on! You stinking pile of scraps! Right here!" Butch yelled while thumping on his chest.

A moment later, the Collector complied with Butch's request and its claws shot down at lightning speed. The Green Puff waited until the very last moment, no doubt loving the thrill of it all, before vaulting off the edge of the roof onto the fence.

Using the top of the chain linked fence as a spring board, he leapt off and somersaulted cleanly to the ground below. He landed confidently on his feet and walked forward with a swagger in his step, not even glancing behind him to watch the destruction.

The Collector's claws drove straight through the machine and torn it nearly in two. It exploded instantly and an electrical torrent scorched the air. Branching arms of electricity arched across the wires spreading from the power station and all around the base Boomer heard smaller explosions as fuse boxes blew.

The influx of power was too much for the poor, damaged Collector to handle and something inside of it overload. A massive explosion literally ripped the huge robot apart and sent flaming pieces of its chassis flying through the air. Most of the piece ripped right into the power station and as a result, the entire outpost was plunged into darkness.

It took a couple of seconds but Boomer's eyes adjusted to the lack of light and he was able to assess the situation. It was pretty amusing in an odd sort of way. All around him the soldiers of the base were scattering in a blind panic, bumping into and hitting each other. He even saw one of the soldiers clock another one across the face with the butt of his rifle.

That wasn't very nice at all. Must suck not having good night vision. He couldn't stop the small smile forming on his face as he watched the base personnel run around like chickens with their heads cut off.

A flash of red caught his eyes in the darkness and he turned his head to focus on it. That flash of red turned out to be Brick, finishing off a few straggling soldiers while making his way over to Butch in an almost leisurely manner. The Green Ruff was also partaking in attacking some of the running troops.

Knowing Butch, he was probably miffed about being left out of the melee and having to do the "boring" job. Well, there was plenty to go around. He could bash skulls to his heart's content as far as Boomer cared.

The blonde made his way over to the two of them, taking out any the attack bots that crossed his path. The soldiers in the base were pretty much useless now, but the bots still had their heat sensing vision no matter how crappy it was. They did not want those things hampering their escape. At least, he hoped it was escape time.

He was really ready for this day to be over.

"Hope you took notes Red." Butch said with a cocky laugh, kicking a down soldier in the side and sending him skidding across the ground. Boomer casually hopped over the rolling guard and stopped by his brother's side.

"Yeah, yeah. Boast later, leave now." Brick said with a roll of his eyes, he turned and booked it towards the rubble filled alley way.

It _was_ escape time! Yes!

Boomer and Butch wasted no time following the redhead. Well, okay, Butch did take a few seconds to close line a soldier that was running blinding in their direction, but that was kinda amusing and it didn't really slow him down any.

It wasn't like they really needed to hurry all that much anyway. As the three young men made their way through the base's alleys they met no resistance. None at all. Boomer's guess was that everyone was still running around fearing for lives. More power to them, it made their escape a lot easier.

"Man! That was so fucking awesome! Did you see how that Collector blew into pieces? Beautiful I tell you. Haha! Wait til Mojo hears about how one of his own robots destroyed his outpost! Hahaha!"

At least Butch's sour mood had improved. Maybe Boomer wouldn't get his ass kicked by the brunette after this was all over.

He could hope.

The three of them navigated the alley ways back towards the gate and found it much in the same state as they last left it. There were several groups of soldiers running across the ground, frantically yelling at one another for numerous things: flashlights, ammunition, status updates.

"Man…what a cluster fuck. You'd think they'd teach some semblance of discipline at their training camps." Butch muttered in disgust as he leaned around the corner to watch the soldiers.

Brick, also looking around the corner, paused in his observations and sent Butch a disbelieving look. The brunette noticed it a few seconds later.

"What?" He questioned in a terse manner.

"You used the word semblance in a sentence correctly. I didn't even think you knew that word." Brick smirked and ducked the cuff Butch sent at his head, stepping out of the alley way along the outpost wall.

"Come on, let get out of here."

Boomer eagerly followed Brick while Butch trailed behind him, muttering something about smart asses. They quietly made their way towards the gate, avoiding the clusters of soldiers that filled the area. It was only as they crossed the threshold that their stealthy escape was halted.

Despite the panic infecting the ranks of the Simian garrison, the attack bots were still running just fine. A contingent of eighteen of them covered the gate entrance along the outside of the outpost. The Rowdyruffs literally walked right into them, well, their gun sights at least.

Brick let out a curse and he threw himself to the ground as a few noticed their entrance and sent a hail of gun fire at them. A few faint cries could be heard from inside the base; no doubt a few Simian troops had been hit by friendly fire. Who needed to fight when your enemies did that for you?

Butch weaseled one of his knives from his vest and flung it at the bots. It flew silently through the air before burying itself into one's face place all the way up to the hilt. The bot's gunfire faltered as it stumbled drunkenly into its allies before tumbling to the ground.

Boomer used the opening to heave himself up on to his feet and charge the group with his bat raised for attack. Seizing the opportunity of surprise against so many was key.

He flew into the group before all the bots could turn around. The plastic like material of an attack bots faceplate was only a little denser than the average human skull, which meant that it crumpled instantly the moment Boomer's bat came swinging. And he swung a lot.

The first two were out of commission by the time his brothers joined the fight. Counting the one Butch had already taken down, that only left fifteen, five for each of them.

Butch had a hell of a time, laughing out loud as he brandished his brass knuckles and started laying down the pain. Not that robots felt pain, but they certainly couldn't move after he got done with them. The brunette knew how fight effectively, Boomer would give him that. He even took out one of the blonde's five robots and would have done more in if they hadn't already been destroyed.

The melee ended as fast as it started and a pile of sparking machinery was all that was left of the squad of robots. The sounds of battle had unfortunately drawn the attention of some of the human soldiers and fire was now shooting through the gate at them.

"Let's move!" Brick ordered in a clipped tone as he dashed off into the night. Butch stood still and scowled at the gate. Boomer knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Come on Butch, leave 'em be. There'll be other fights." The blonde tugged at his vest and started after Brick.

Behind him, Boomer heard Butch release a disgruntled sigh and then the pounding of his footsteps as he followed the blonde up the street.

Good, he actually listened. What a nice surprise, that usually never worked.

A mile later, the Ruffs slowed to a stop and took a moment to regroup. Brick took deep, even breaths as he gazed back through the night at the outpost. It was hard to ignore being the only source of illumination for miles. Licking tongues of flames feasted on the buildings and poured thick smoke into the sky, obscuring the shallow moon and stars.

The three of them stood there for a minute and simply watched the fires rise, reveling in their success.

It was the largest raid they had ever pulled off, they deserved a few moments of triumph. Boomer was surprised it had gone as well as it had, with no real plan or prep work involved. It was only by the seat of their pants that they managed to stay alive and take out the relay station, a combination of insane luck, skill, and perfect timing.

He was so wiped.

But he felt good too…accomplished. That was something he hadn't felt in a good long while. It made his chest puff up just the tiniest amount he'd admit, definitely not as badly as Butch's was. The Green Ruff had a grin a mile wide as he gleefully watched the flames.

It was amazing how his attitude had totally flipped over the course of the night. From excited, to annoyed, to pissed, to furious which was different from pissed, to excited again, and finally joyful. There was a bit of a psychopathic edge to that grin but it was joyful none the less.

Heh, that wasn't something he ever thought to associate with Butch, the joyful part, not the psychopath part. Butch displayed that emotion often.

Boomer glanced to his other side at his eldest brother. Brick had been staring at the outpost intently for the last few minutes without moving a muscle. He wasn't sure what was going through his mind. They had pulled off something that by every right should have failed spectacularly. He should have been ecstatic, but then again, this was Brick. Being ecstatic would require an emotional response. The blonde thought he could have made an exception to his taciturn ways just this once.

When Brick finally moved, it was only to give himself a simple, satisfied nod. He then turned around and started off into the night, back towards home. Boomer pulled his slightly mangled hoodie tighter as the night's chill started registering again. He took one last look at the enemy outpost before turning around and following in the redhead's steps.

"Come on Butch." Brick called from up ahead, not even looking back. Somehow he had known the Green Ruff was still standing in place, watching the flames. It always made him wonder if Brick still had some powers left whenever he did that, ESP or something. He always seemed to know stuff like that.

Butch smirked at the burning buildings one last time before chasing after his brothers. He fell into an even step at Boomer's side.

Thinking back over the entire night, the blonde couldn't help but look at Butch with an arched brow. Butch took notice of his interest a second later and gave him a small, defensive frown.

"What?" He asked.

"Useless rocks huh?"

The brunette looked confused for a moment before his insult during their flight from the Collector came back to him. He gave his head a light toss.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Boomer chuckled quietly to himself as the brunette gave him a light shove and a smirk.

"Don't forget, I still need to kick your ass."

The Blue Ruff merely nodded with a small smile.

* * *

**A/N: Alright you asked for it (specifically CapsLoverGirl645 and Lily975) and here is it. The super exciting conclusion to the Collector Chase. I hope it was as entertaining to read as it was to write!**

**A super big thanks to my two reviewers! CapsLoverGirl645 and Lily975! You guys really made my day with your review so thank you! And thank you to cruelistnightmare and Scourge From BloodClan for the favs! You guys are awesome!**

**Next Chapter: Bubbles and Buttercup return to the base from their wayward scavenging trip with a bit more than random junk. Now they have to explain it all to Blossom. Fun times.**

**Like always, if you liked today's chapter drop a review down below! I love hearing from you guys! Thanks for continuing to come back every Saturday and read my story. I hope it keeps on living up to your expectations! Until next Saturday!**


	16. Chapter 16 – A New Home

Chapter 16 – A New Home

Wearily Bubbles led the way, trudging through the darkened subway tunnels. Kevin held a loose grip on her arm as he stumbled across the unseen obstacles that littered the ground. Poor little guy, he could barely keep his eyes open. It seemed like the little boy's boundless energy had finally ran its course and now he was running on fumes.

Joseph and John sat limply in Bubbles arms, fast asleep. The eventful night had left all of them drained, but no so more than these two little boys. She was happy to carry them, but oh how she longed to rub at the sleep in her eyes. Instead, she had to settle for repeated blinking.

It didn't help much.

Behind her, Buttercup kept up a steady pace with Erin passed out in her arms and Betty walking doggedly next to her, clinging to her hand. The tiny redhead was in an even worse off state than Kevin, walking zombie like with her head down. It was only Buttercup's guiding hand that kept her from running into anything.

How long had they been in these tunnels? An hour and a half? Maybe two? It was hard to tell time down in the darkness.

However long they had been down here, Bubbles was starting to recognize some of her surroundings. There were faint little signs the Resistance had set up to point the way back to base, nothing too blatant. An upright sign along the wall, a small series of can set up in a row, little things that could easily be overlooked if you didn't know where to look.

It was a giant relief to Bubbles when she first noticed them. They had entered the underground system through an unfamiliar station and she had no idea where they even were before Buttercup found an old railway map.

It took the blonde a few minutes to puzzle out their location and which direction to head in. Unfortunately, she also found out that during their escape from the Collector they had managed to run three miles further away from the base than when they started. Buttercup had groaned heartily when she shared that particular piece of information with the group.

At first they had maintained a pretty good pace, something that would get them to the base relatively fast and the kids could keep up with. That had been two hours ago though. The adrenaline that had been fueling their energy quickly died as the immediate threat of death passed by and they were all left exhausted. Especially the kids.

A yawn cracked Kevin's jaw as he once again stumbled amongst the railways. The infectious action soon spread and no matter how valiantly she tried, Bubbles couldn't contain a yawn of her own from escaping. How long had she been up?

This morning's mission felt like such a long time ago. So much had happened since then. Crazy things.

Her sleep deprived mind didn't even want to try and sort any of it out. The only thing that she focused on was getting to the base. Then she could settle the kids down and get some sweet sleep of her own.

"Almost there." She muttered to herself. Buttercup grunted from behind.

The blonde looked over her shoulder at her sister with concern, even in the dark tunnel she could see the brunette limping along. Bubbles legs ached, her arms shook, and it was a struggle to walk a straight line. She couldn't even imagine how badly her sister was feeling in comparison.

When they had first entered the subway system Bubbles had insisted on wrapping up her bleeding shoulder. It was a pathetic job at best, but it did stem the bleeding. She also checked the bump on John's head.

While he had been out of it for the last half of the escape, he gradually got back his equilibrium and returned to his old self, albeit in pain. Bubbles felt he showed enough to coherence to declare him free of concussion and allowed him to sleep. Buttercup wasn't so lucky.

Each step Buttercup took caused her to grit her teeth in pain, the motion jarring her damaged ribs and shoulder. They really should have stopped to rest during their trek back but the Green Puff insisted on moving forward. She didn't falter, didn't complain or cry. She simply bore her pain in silence and kept pressing on.

That was something that Bubbles had always admired about her older sister, she had this surreal strength of will. No matter what the circumstance, she always moved forward. Blossom had it too and she supposed she did to an extent, but tonight Buttercup's shone brightly.

The blonde didn't think anyone could have gone toe to toe with a Collector and survived as Buttercup had a few hours ago. No human could have, that was for certain. The mere mention of a Collector was enough to send people into a panic attack, but not Buttercup. Even when staring down death's door time and time again, she never gave up.

It was quality that Bubbles strived to mimic. She wasn't sure if she ever really could succeed in that regard, but she would keep on trying. As long as she had her older sisters by her side, she would try her hardest.

With a sigh, Bubbles readjusted her grip on the two slumbering boys and strengthened her resolve. They were almost done. Almost done. Just a few more steps.

She kept telling herself that every time she placed her foot down, just a few more step; only a little bit more. After a bit, she started telling Betty and Kevin that too. They looked like they desperately needed the encouragement. Buttercup might have even appreciated her efforts as well.

The group continued on that way for some time before a soft pinprick glow began to brighten the distant tunnel further up a head. When Bubbles saw, she was almost ready to cry tears of joy.

The small pinpoint of light soon grew and resolved itself into a tall opening. As they drew closer, a gaggle of sounds emanated out from it and with it, a flood of relief swept through Bubbles.

They did it! They were home!

The light and sounds of activity reawakened the kids from their zombie like states. Kevin picked his head up and blinked curiously at the threshold as they made their way to it. He diminished energy came back with renewed vigor as they passed through the opening and entered the base proper.

Bubbles heard a small gasp from behind, from Betty no doubt, as Kevin stopped dead in his tracks to gape at the sight. Even Joseph and John had woken up and were staring at the base as if they were on some alien planet.

The sight of their little mouths hanging open was so cute that Bubbles couldn't hold back a giggle. Her laughter drew a soft chuckle from Buttercup as well as she stepped up next her sister's side, gently dragging Betty with her. Erin blinked in a daze as she started rousing from her dreams.

It was as her giggles died down that Bubbles noticed something odd. She shot a confused glance at Buttercup. The brunette returned the look before gazing around at the base in bewilderment.

Instead of a peaceful, sleepy atmosphere that usually took over during the night hours, the base appeared to be on full alert. All around there was activity; soldiers of every rank and discipline were racing around. Shouts rang through the air and lights shone brightly down from up above. This was not a base settled down for the night, and this was only just outside the gate!

"Thank God! There you two are!" As one, the sisters looked at the wall of train cars and spotted their caller.

Gil the sentry guard was on duty again, but instead of being in his customary place inside the train wall, he was standing outside it, armed with a rifle. He waved the sisters forward as he gestured to someone inside the wall. With a groan the doors slid open as they approached.

His call didn't just catch their attention, others began to notice their arrival too and soon all the activity quieted down as the soldiers stopped what they had been doing and stared at the disheveled group as they passed by.

Bubbles couldn't help but feel self-conscious at their intense stares. Yeah, she knew she probably looked horrible, but that didn't really warrant the rapt attention they were giving her, Buttercup and the kids.

The kids! Duh, that must have been what they were staring at. Sometimes she missed the most obvious things.

Of course they would be staring at the kids; most of the soldiers probably hadn't seen kids in years. No children of any kind were ever permitted in any of the Resistance bases Bubbles had called home. It was shocking enough for her when they first met in the ruins; she could only imagine what it must be like to see them waltz right into a secure and secret base.

Oh well, too late to change that now.

"Where have the two of you been? You were supposed to be back hours ago! The General has been sending out squads to look for you guys." Gil told them as they reached the wall.

Simultaneously, Buttercup and Bubbles eyes widened as they looked at each other in dread. The scavenging mission! She had completely forgotten! They were late! Not just late, WAY late! And Blossom had sent out squads to find them!

Oh shitake mushrooms, they were screwed.

Buttercup let out a far more colorful curse and passed through the wall without another thought. Gil stepped aside, giving the children a curious look, and called after them as they passed.

"You best hurry to the Command Center, pronto!"

"Thanks Gil!" Bubbles called back as they hurried across the lobby to the lit up building. It was an ant hill of activity. The entire base must have been awake and crowding around the building! Everyone seemed to be doing something; Bubbles didn't even know they could be this busy.

As the group got closer to the building, more and more personnel began recognizing them and calling out exclamations of relief. Questions about where they had been, who were the kids, why were they all bloody were called out, but Buttercup ignored them all. She was still on a mission and she meant to complete it without further delay.

Bubbles took it upon herself to reassure the passing soldiers that everything was fine, they ran into some trouble on their way back was all. Her soft smiles and pleasant tone was enough to convince a majority of them, a few still shot the group calculating looks but relented in the end.

Bubbles and the kids followed Buttercup as she jogged up the steps and entered the Command Center. Instead of following the narrow hallway all the way back to the Map Room, Buttercup took the second left and walked into the largest room in the building.

The Operations Room.

It was a long, rectangular room nearly three times the size of the Map Room. Lining the walls were tables and desks filled with radio equipment, decoding machines, computers, and just about anything else you needed to keep surveillance.

It hadn't been used much since the base's founding, just basic sweeps of the area to make sure no Simian patrol got to close. Once they got a firmer foothold and the raids started up, this room would probably become the busiest place in the entire base. Probably Blossom's new sleeping quarters too.

Speaking of the redhead, there she was standing in the middle of the room over a long table with papers scattered across its surface. And next to her, in his wheelchair, was Professor John Utonium.

The years had been kind to the Professor. His coal black hair still grew in full and thick, though it was salted with patches of gray and white now. Crow's feet barely lined his eyes and the corners of his mouth, dancing around as he chewed on his old wooden pipe. His deep brown eyes still gleamed with concentrated intelligence as he studied the papers on the table beside his eldest daughter. He was pretty much in picture perfect condition for his age, with the exception of his poor, withered legs.

The tension in the air was so focused that only the Professor noticed his two daughter's entrance. He glanced over his shoulder at the doorway and a relieved smile broke out across his face, lifting the fine wrinkles and revealing a full set of nice white teeth.

"Girls!" He called out as he wheeled himself around to face them.

He was still dressed in his standard button up white shirt and lab coat, meaning he hadn't retired to bed at all tonight. She left him for barely one day and he was already disregarding his health. He was not as young as he used to be, he really needed to rest to keep up his strength. He could have at least put on a heavier jacket, to ward off the chill in the room. The presence of a patched blue blanket laid across his lap appeased her somewhat.

"Dad, what are you still doing up? You should be in bed by now. Do you know late it is?" The blonde asked as she and Buttercup stepped up to the table with the kids in tow.

"Do **YOU** know how late it is?!" Bubbles winced at Blossom's pointed question.

She walked right into that one.

The redhead turned from the table to face them. The strained look on her face and the tiny twinge of panic in her pink eyes was more than enough to warn Bubbles of the upcoming tongue lashing her and Buttercup were about to receive. There was only one thing that really riled up Blossom now a days and that was when she didn't know what was happening to her people, especially when those people were her sisters.

"It's three o'clock in the morning; you were supposed to be back over **SEVEN** hours ago!"

Joseph cringed at Blossom's raised voice and Bubbles couldn't help but cringe along with him. Boy, she was really pissed off, not that Bubbles hadn't expected it. The blonde boy took one look at her sister's pink glare and buried his head into Bubbles shoulder. It was his movement that drew Blossom's eye.

For the first time, the Puff leader took notice that her sisters were not alone in their return. Her ire quickly turned to confusion as she glanced at the five kids shying away from her. Well, most were shying away; Kevin brazenly sent an angry pout in her direction while trying to look defiant. That kid…

"Who…who are these?" Blossom asked hesitantly, not sure how to react to their presence.

"Well, you know we were picking up parts to expand the base, figured we might as well get some pets too. Good deal, buy one get one free…This one here was double price though, he's a bit of a hand full." Buttercup said dryly as she sent a nod Kevin's way.

He dropped his pouting glare and grinned cheekily at Buttercup. The brunette couldn't help but grin right back and ruffled his curly black hair.

"Pets?...You two have SO much explaining to do." Blossom bit out and looked at Buttercup a few seconds longer before turning a back around and addressing the group of soldiers manning the radios. "Start calling back our squads and tell them to return to base. The package has returned."

A few muttered 'Yes Ma'am' as they began turning dials and speaking into their microphones. Blossom turned back towards her family and the kids and gestured brusquely for them to follow her as she left the Operations Room.

They walked down the hallway to a smaller, more secluded room filled with chairs and a conference table. Bubbles set the two boys down with a grateful sigh and slid her pack to the ground before plopping in a seat of her own. Once she was settled, Joseph immediately climbed down from his chair and reseated himself on her lap.

It seemed the little boy had taken a rather strong liking towards her. Maybe it was the similar hair color? Whatever the case, she wrapped her arms around him as he laid his tiny head on her shoulder and rocked him gently back and forth while she waited for Blossom to ream them a new one.

Kevin claimed a chair for himself right next to John while Betty and Erin chose to share a chair next to Buttercup. The brunette took a seat the left of her younger sister and carefully eased herself down, wincing as she did.

Blossom noticed the action and once again her piercing pink eye bore into them. "What happened? Are you injured?"

"Injured? Psh…tis but a flesh wound." Buttercup tried to wave off her older sister's concern, but the effort produced another wince and Blossom's eyes narrowed.

The redhead pulled back Buttercup's black vest and gasped at the blood soak bandage and tee shirt underneath. "Buttercup!"

The Green Puff pulled her vest out of Blossoms grip with an irritated huff. She hated being babied or doted upon, never mind the fact that it was well deserved. Bubbles mentally rolled her eyes, her silly tough sister.

"It's nothing big; I won't die in the next ten minutes. Bubbles made sure to patch it up as best she could. Take a chill pill Leader Girl."

Blossom stood with her arm crossed over her chest for a moment before relenting. "Fine, I'll make this quick then. That needs to be properly attended to when we're done here. Understood?"

Buttercup nodded in a nonchalant manner which caused Blossom to let out a soft sigh of frustration. Sensing this situation had the potential to erupt; Bubbles stepped in and hoisted her backpack onto the table top.

"We got a lot of good stuff from the shop I was telling you about." She chirped in a cheerful voice.

"I _had_ a lot of good stuff, not sure about it now." Buttercup muttered as she heaved her load bag onto the table top as well.

The clanking inside the pack suggested that not all the objects in there had survived the Collector encounter as well as they girls had. She hoped that at least some of it made it through without any damage.

"Good, I'm glad you managed to complete at least _one_ aspect of your mission." Blossom said as she took a seat on the opposite side of the table, right next to the Professor in his wheel chair.

Neither of them looked very happy now that relief of their return had a chance to sink in.

"I'm assuming you picked up these…kids along the way?"

"On the way back actually. You see, the shop was a tad farther than I thought it was and we were running just the _tinniest_ bit behind schedule, so we were trying to hurry back. But, well…we kinda, got a bit lost and had to back track."

Blossom looked unmoved as she gazed at her two sisters with 'The Look'.

"That ate up a good, what hour of our time?" Bubbles direct her question to the brunette beside her, who responded with a simple nod.

She didn't even seem to care that Blossom was irritated. Well, Bubbles did and she wanted to appease the redhead as quickly as possible to avoid a lecture. Blossom gave the worst lectures…or the best if you thought about it.

"Yeah, an hour. Anyways, we finally got back on track and were making our way to Trevor station when we heard this noise coming from a nearby alley way. It turned out that noise was these kids and an older woman who cared for them."

"There was a group of children and an old woman in the ruins of Townsville?" Blossom interjected with wide eyes, her anger fading as her curiosity was quipped.

Bubbles nodded with a small Mmhhm before continuing. "We were shocked too, turns out this old woman, Jessica was her name, had saved these kids and taken them from New Townsville some three or four years ago to avoid Mojo's execution sweep."

Joseph whimpered softly and buried his head deeper into her jacket.

Ahh, she kept forgetting about the whole name thing. She was going to have to work on that with the kids, they couldn't go around their whole life living in fear of a silly name.

It was really a silly name if you thought about it. Mojo. MOoooo Jooooooo.

"An execution sweep in New Townsville?" Blossom's voice brought Bubbles back into reality.

She had to think back over it a second before the question registered completely. She was really tired. "Yeah. Turns out, Jessica was part of an anti-Emperor movement in New Townsville. They were scheduling to start riots and try to over throw him when he somehow found out about it. She told Buttercup and I that he found out the names of the movement's leaders and he…he…"

Bubbles trailed off as she remembered the tear filled eyes of the old woman. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to live through something like that, all of your friends disappearing, knowing that you would never see them again. It took a huge amount of courage to do what Jessica had done in the end. The guilt of her death came inching back into Bubbles mind.

"He planned on rounding up the leaders and their families and executing them publically." Buttercup picked up the tale as she saw Bubbles falter. "Jessica knew that these kids were in danger, so she gathered as many as she could and high tailed it out of there. They had been living in the ruins ever since."

"Why didn't they go to the Outskirts?" Blossom asked as Buttercup sat back.

The brunette shrugged a shoulder. "She said it would be too dangerous for the community to hide them. If Mo-"

She stopped herself mid-sentence and shot a quick look at the kids beside her. "If the monkey found out the people of the Outskirts were hiding them, he would punish the whole lot. So hearing that and seeing as how these kids were looking to be in pretty bad shape; Bubbles and I decided to bring them back to base with us."

Buttercup crossed her arms and waited for Blossom to respond. Bubbles waited for the redhead's reaction too with baited breath.

The Puff Leader sat silently for a few moments, looking between each of the children with that uniquely piercing stare of hers. When she completed her circuit she looked back up to her sisters and though she didn't look extremely happy, she didn't look ready to explode either. It was more a disgruntled expression than anything else.

"What happened next? I take it things didn't go exactly as planned?"

Bubbles heaved a silent sigh of relief. She had yet to outright condemn their actions, which meant that there was hope she would agree with their logic and accept their choices in bringing the kid here.

Blossom always tried to wait for the full story before passing her judgment. Bubbles was feeling fairly confident that she would agree with them. Who would be cruel enough to leave kids out in the ruins by themselves? Certainly not Blossom.

Bubbles tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Buttercup respond to Blossom's question with a contemptuous laugh. "You could say that. We were maybe twenty minutes from Trevor Station when a damn Collector stumbled upon us."

"Language Buttercup." Blossom interrupted much to the brunette's annoyance.

The Green Puff gave her a dry look before continuing. "The Collector found us and started firing so we started running, in a completely opposite direction from the base by the way." She pointed out. "As we ran, Jessica stumbled over a piece of garbage or something and went to the ground. Bubbles and I had the kids on our backs so by the time I realize she wasn't behind us anymore, I was already a hundred meters in front of her."

The looks on both Blossom's and the Professor's faces darken as they began connecting the dots.

Bubbles squeezed Joseph tighter as she thought back on the moment. Tear unwillingly came to her eyes as she recalled Jessica's defiant last stand against the mechanical monster. Bravery like that was uncommon in today's age. She would be sorely missed, even if the only people who really knew her were these little kids.

"She urged us to keep running while she stayed behind to give us some time to put distance between the Collector and ourselves…so we did." Buttercup paused and considered the table briefly, no doubt reliving the moment herself.

A chorus of soft sniffling had broken out amongst the kids. Betty and Erin clutched each other's hands tightly while John knuckled roughly at his crying eyes. Kevin wrapped his arms around his scrapped knees and buried his head in them.

Buttercup broke out of her revere and laid a hand on Kevin's shoulder, trying to lend him some comfort. Bubbles' heart broke all over again at the sight. No kids should have to face this much heart break at such a young age. The blonde rolled her chair over and softly smoothed John's hair away from his face.

Buttercup roughly cleared her throat. "It bought us a little time, but the Collector caught up to us again. It threw a big object in my path, an air conditioning unit or something, and I ran right into it, dropped all the kids and landed on the ground. I recovered before it got to my position and sent the girls up ahead towards Bubbles." She nodded towards Betty and Erin.

Blossom considered them briefly before gesturing Buttercup to go on.

"I couldn't find John, so I tried to look for him when the Collector caught up to me. Turns out he was stuck on the other side of the unit. I picked him up and high tailed it; all while dodging a storm of Collector claws. It was impressive, even for me." She said with a smirk.

The Professor let out a mild chuckle at her bravado while Blossom softly shook her head. The remark did manage to pick up the depressing atmosphere. All the kids momentary sadness dissipated as they were absorbed back into the story.

Kevin had nodded excitedly when Buttercup comment on how impressive she was. Bubbles chuckled at his unbridled enthusiasm. Buttercup didn't even have a clue on how big an impression she had made on the little black boy. She'd find out soon enough.

Buttercup shifted her injured shoulder with a cringe. "Well as you know, Collectors don't give up that easily and as an incentive to make me stay, it smacked me across the back and sent me and John flying into a pile of cars. Then it shot a harpoon through my shoulder for good measure, hence all the blood." She waved a hand to her once green shirt, now a brackish brown color.

Blossom raised a hand and leaned forward a bit more. "So you were left lying helpless in a pile of cars with a harpoon in your shoulder? How did you escape? And where were you?" She finished pointing at Bubbles with a confused look on her face.

"I'd like to know that as well?" The Professor added his two cents as he chewed on the stem of his pipe.

"I'm getting to that, sheesh. So, yeah. There I was, with back full of bruised ribs, a steel spear through my shoulder, and a half conscious kid." She nodded towards John, who shrunk into his shirt as the rooms attention focused on him momentarily.

"The Collector had us right where it wanted us and started reading its laser. You know the one."

"It only has one laser Buttercup." Blossom replied dryly.

"Yeah, whatever. Like I was saying, it had us right where it wanted us with a giant laser getting ready to vaporize us into dust! I couldn't really do anything, I'd spent all my tricks, so I closed my eyes and waited for it to finish me off. I seriously thought both of us were goners." Buttercup motioned to between John and herself. He nodded his agreement quietly.

All of the kids were on the edge of their seats now. Even though they had witnessed the events, they were sucked into Buttercup vivid story telling. Especially Kevin, he was almost bouncing in his seat from excitement.

Buttercup paused and let the atmosphere hold for a moment until Blossom impatiently gestured for her to finish. "Soooo?"

The Green Puff grinned. "Well, imagine my surprise when I hear this whistling sound and look up. Instead of a getting my bones vaporized, I find the Collector standing there with one of its harpoons buried into its laser port."

Blossom moved her attention to Bubbles and pointed at her. "From you?"

Both Bubbles and Buttercup nodded at their leader.

"This one here directly disobeyed my orders to take the kids and run…and it's a good thing she did; otherwise I'd be bacon right now." The Green Puff sent her younger sister a smile which was returned brightly.

"All right, so Bubbles threw the harpoon, saved you from being disintegrated, and then what?" Blossom asked.

"Then we ran." Bubbles picked up the tale with a shrug.

"And you left the Collector behind?" The Professor interjected after a moment of silence had passed.

"Oh no, it still chased us. For a really long time actually. We eventually got cornered by it when it threw a semi-trailer in our path."

"Then how'd you get away?" The Professor asked curiously as he chewed on his pipe. Beside him, Blossom had her pink gaze intently focused on her two sisters.

Bubbles opened her mouth to respond…and then froze when she realized what she was about to say.

The Professor was here and he still knew nothing about the Rowdyruff Boys. Blossom had made the decision to keep their appearances a secret, even from him. He had enough problems trying to keep the Med Clinic up and running on what little supplies they had, unnecessary worry about his daughters safety on top of that wasn't something he needed right now.

They would have to reveal the Boys existence someday…but not today. Not from Bubbles. So how would she explain their escape? If it wasn't for the Boys, they would literally be dead right now. The blonde glanced at Buttercup from the corner of her eye, hoping she would think of something to say.

The brunette, however, was just as lost as she was. Buttercup scratched mildly at her cheek as she stalled for time. "Wellllll….."

"It was awesome!" Kevin blurted out, causing the entire room to look at him. He grinned delightedly at being the center of attention. "We was all boxed in and the big monster machine was right there in front of us! It was getting ready to shoot us with its metal stick things, when all the sudden, out of nowhere-"

"It malfunctioned!" Bubbles said quickly before snapping her mouth shut. A small blush took over her cheeks as everyone looked at her bizarrely.

Kevin looked especially put out by her interruption, but she had kept him from spilling the beans and that was all that mattered at the moment. Buttercup nodded her agreement eagerly when Blossom quirked an eyebrow at them.

"…it malfunctioned? ...Just like that?" She asked slowly.

"Yes, it _did_." Buttercup emphasized while she meaningfully locked gazed with the redhead.

The Professor glanced between the two suspiciously as Blossom gestured for them to finish their story. He definitely knew something was up and they weren't telling the whole truth, but being the genial man who respected his daughter's boundaries that he was, he let it slide as he sat back in his wheel chair.

Bubbles released an inner sigh of relief. That had been close; she was going to have to talk to the kids about repeating that story to other ears. The last thing they need was for the whole base to find out about the Boys. Although, the kids didn't know who they were, so they really couldn't spill anything per say. It would still raise questions though, and that was no bueno. Not yet.

"So yeah, it malfunctioned and we escaped behind the trailer and booked it to the nearest subway station. Then we made our way here. End of Story." Buttercup finished casually, all while trying to avoid looking in the Professor's direction.

She always had trouble keeping secrets from him. People usually assumed it would be Bubbles who would be the worst at hiding the truth, but nope…it was Buttercup. Don't get her wrong, Bubbles wasn't the best liar in the world but she did a sight better than her sister. Something about her blunt attitude made deception, even mild deception, all but impossible for her. She could keep things to herself, but you always knew she was hiding something from you, unlike her two sisters. Hence why she was the combat specialist and they held the more information sensitive positions.

"Alright then." Bubbles glanced back up from the table at her eldest sister as she spoke.

The redhead unfolded her arms and stood up, leaning on the table. "While I _don't _approve of your tardiness…I can understand why it happened. I'll let this incident slide, it wasn't your fault a Collector found you."

Bubbles sagged in relief as Blossom spoke those magic words. Whoo, she had really been thinking that they'd get at least some sort of punishment out of that.

"_However_…"

Damn it, spoke to soon.

"You two need to be **way** more careful when you go out. This is the second time in the last month Bubbles that you've almost been caught."

The blonde nodded solemnly at her sister. It wasn't like she wanted it to happen; she certainly didn't seek those things out. It was all rotten luck as far as she could tell, maybe she should look for a lucky rabbit's foot next time she went out scavenging?

Blossom continued. "You two will be doing extra dish duty for the next week though."

"Oh come on Bloss! Seriously?" Buttercup interjected with a whine.

The redhead merely nodded. "Seriously. You did complete your mission, but you could have radioed in when you got in range or something. You two had me worried sick. I think some time cleaning dishes will help remind you of that next time you're in a similar situation."

Buttercup sank back into her seat and scowled at the table top while Blossom retook her own seat. The Pink Puff propped her elbows on the table and rest her chin in her hands. She then took a minute to look at the kids.

"The question now, is what are we going to do with them?" She muttered lightly to herself.

"Don't kick us outside please!" Blossom blinked in surprise at Betty's shout. The little girl was still clutching Erin's hand tightly as she looked at the imposing Puff leader with wide green eyes. Both girls looked fearful actually.

Bubbles furrowed her brow in confusion. Kick them out? Blossom wasn't going to kick them out, there was no way her heart would allow her to do that. Besides, her and Buttercup had just spent the night trying to get them here, why would they throw them out after all that? It was then that Bubbles had to remind herself that they were only around five years old. It was probably a natural conclusion to jump to.

"We'll be good! Right?" Logic obviously escaped the kids grasp as all of them nodded in frantic agreement with Betty.

"Yeah! We can do stuff to help you! Like…like…um…" Kevin trailed off uncertainly as his little face scrunched up in deep thought.

Bubbles opened her mouth to reassure the kids when she caught Blossom's hand raise out of the corner of her eye. The blonde looked at her sister and saw her give a tiny head shake. There was a devious smirk hovering on her lips but other than that the redhead looked totally serious as she considered the kids before her.

"Like?" The redhead questioned.

"Chores!" John cried out triumphantly, standing up on his chair.

Betty joined him and stood up on her own chair, nearly displacing Erin on the floor in the process. "Yeah! We can do chores for you!" The little redhead eagerly said as she looked at Blossom hopefully.

The Pink Puff had allowed her smirk to form into an amused half smile. "Oh? What chores do you have experience in? This is a military base after all. We do things a little differently than you're probably used to." The inquiring eyebrow she raised sent the kids into a cold sweat again.

Betty looked to her fellow orphans in panic as she struggled to find an answer to Blossom's question. None of the others had anything to offer her, Kevin still had his face all scrunched up and John simply hid in his overly large shirt, a helpless frown marring his dirt smudged face.

Bubbles hid her smile behind a gloved hand as she watched Blossom string them along. It was terribly mean, but on a certain level, entertaining as well. Buttercup had no qualms about openly grinning at the situation. Even the Professor struggled to contain his amusement as he chewed on his pipe.

Seconds ticked by and Betty's face fell further each time as no one came up with anything to say. Finally, a quiet voice in Bubbles lap spoke up.

"We helped find food…" Joseph shyly glanced at Blossom as he spoke but as soon as he said his piece, he was burying his head back into Bubbles jacket to avoid attention. The blonde was surprised the little boy had the courage to even speak up. She thought he would have remained quiet throughout the entire exchange. There was more to these kids than meets the eye.

"And water too." His answer inspired Erin to add her own two cents as she picked at her torn shirt nervously.

Betty seized onto the suggestions with enthusiasm. "Food and water! That's really important! We can find them for you if you let us stay, and anything else you need!"

"You can find food for seventy people?"

All the kid's faces fell as Blossom reveal how many people lived at the base. Bubbles spotted tears forming in Erin's eyes again.

Okay, this was going to devolve really soon if Blossom kept this up. The blonde shot her older sister a look and the redhead relented with a small laugh. The sound of it shocked all the children and they glanced at the Pink Puff nervously. Blossom dropped her serious façade and gave all of them a warm smile.

"Relax, I was only pulling your leg."

Confusion battled for hope on their little face as they waited for Blossom's next words with baited breath.

"I have no idea where you got the idea, but we're not going to kick you out into the ruins again. You are all welcome to stay."

Kevin let out a whoop of joy as he punched a fist in the air. Betty and Erin shared tight hug while John smiled widely at them. And Joseph, well he remained where he was, but Bubbles could tell he was happy with the outcome. His death grip on her jacket loosened as the tension in his shoulders melted away. She gave him a tight squeeze and got a tiny one back in reply.

"Well now that's all settled, why do you introduce me to our new charges?" Blossom's question wasn't directed at anyone specifically, but Buttercup chose take up the challenge.

"These two here, are Betty and Erin." Both girls smiled and waved as Buttercup gestured to them.

"And this one occupying Bubbles lap is Joseph." The little blonde boy shyly peeked out at the room; a small blush formed on his face at all the attention.

"Next chair over is John." The brunette boy in question sat back down in his chair and swung his feet idly as he gave Blossom a thumbs up sign. The redhead chuckled lightly at the gesture.

Buttercup's smirk turned into a grin as she waved a hand at the last member of the orphans. "And this hyperactive little miscreant here is Kevin."

"I'm not a hyperactive mis-mist-….whatever you said!" The whole room laughed at his denial and the pout he sported afterwards.

"Trust me kid, you most definitely are." Buttercup replied as she leaned back into her seat. Kevin crossed his arms with a huff and continued pouting her.

Blossom cleared her throat softly and the room directed its attention back to her. "It's nice to meet you all, I am Blossom Utonium…Leader of the Powerpuff Girls."

The look of awe on all the kids faces was absolutely adorable.

"Now I'm sure you are all as tired and hungry as you look. Let's see if we can't fix that hm?"

Excited grins and nods broke out all around as Blossom rose from her chair and walked towards the door, grabbing her sister's forgotten backpacks full of supplies on the way. The kids followed in a gaggle after her, except for Joseph. He was still dead set on clutching onto Bubbles jacket. With a smile, she picked him up in her arms and followed after the group as they left the room.

"You're hungry aren't you Joseph?"

A small nod answered her and she hoisted him up higher on her hip.

"Then let's go get you some food, how's that sound?"

The small smile he gave her was bright enough to have lit a whole room. She was going to take that as a 'sounds good'.

* * *

**A/N: Surprise! Yes this is going up two days early because I will be on a trip to San Francisco for the weekend. So you guys get an early update. Woot woot! Yes, well here is another long chapter for you, I hope Blossom's reaction played out realistically, I really don't think she could stay mad when the whole Collector thing wasn't really the Girls' fault. **

**Any way. Next Chapter: Now that the kids can stay, who the hell is going to take care of them? **

**And a big BIG thanks to my reviewers this last week! Scourge From the BloodClan, Lily975, and Many! You guys are awesome and the fact that I got three review in a week has me totally psyched! Seriously, I've busted out some really good writing this week because of you guys.**

**For those of you who haven't reviewed this story yet and you've made it this far, why not take a minute to drop me a note? I'd love to hear what you think so far whether it be good, bad, or indifferent. Oh, and don't forget to follow and favorite this story so you can catch the surprise updates like this one!**

**Thanks again! See you next Saturday!**


	17. Chapter 17 - Peachy Keane

Chapter 17 – Peachy Keane

"What about Rosa? The kids could help her keep the kitchen clean." Buttercup suggested.

Blossom shook her head as they walked towards the Medical Clinic. "No, she's way to busy keeping the quad running to look after the kids. Besides I'm not sure keeping Kevin cooped up in the kitchen would be the best idea." She sent a calculating look at the young boy who was contently munching on his ration bar, avidly gazing around the base.

Buttercup also looked at him for a second before nodding her head. "You're probably right about that."

"Courtney?" Bubbles chimed in reluctantly.

She had really wanted to take the kids on as her responsibility and look after them; she had a special bond with the youngings after their ordeal together. Unfortunately, Blossom reminded her that she had other pressing duties that required her expertise, like scavenging missions and raids, once they actually started up. And let's not forget her time spent in the Medical Center helping the Professor care for patients. With all that on her plate, she really didn't have time to watch almost half a dozen kids. So it would have to fall to someone else to look after them.

She knew that intellectually, but emotionally it was a downer. It was like rescuing a puppy from a raging river and then having to give it to an adoption center. You knew it was the best for the puppy, but still… It was with great reluctance that she joined her sister's conversation.

"No, Courtney has to manage the digging projects in the south tunnels." Blossom replied.

"Let's face it Bloss, any person we suggest is going to busy. It comes down to who has the least going on." Buttercup said, taking a bite out of her ration bar and began to chew loudly…and obnoxiously. Bubbles suspected she did that just to gross her sisters out…it still worked.

The redhead offered her a disgusted glance before she let out a sigh. "You're right….but who?"

Silence hung about the group as they continued walking. The kids were taking in all the sights of the base, not that there was much to see anymore. When they exited the Command Center to go to the Quad for a quick bite, the level of activity in the lobby had dropped dramatically. Word must have spread quickly of their relatively safe return because there was almost no one left in the once crowded area.

A few non ranking personnel were hauling crates back to the Quartermaster's Office but that was it. Good, it was way too late to be up anyway in Bubbles humble opinion. She held back a yawn trying to work its way out.

The Professor cleared his throat softly and his three girls looked at him. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Of course Professor." Bubbles said as she looked him curiously. Who did he know that they hadn't already suggested? They had named off almost all of the female personnel in the base already. She didn't think they had missed anyone.

"It's simple, Ms. Keane."

"What?!" Buttercup yelped spewing small pieces of her food bar from her mouth.

Hastily brushing off the crumbs on her jacket, she and her sisters stopped walking and looked down at the Professor. "You can't be serious Professor! She can't look after the kids. She's not a kindergarten teacher anymore, she's your caretaker."

"That's right Dad; if Ms. Keane looked after the kids, who would help you?" Bubbles added with concern.

Ever since the attack six years ago that had robbed the Professor of the use of his legs, Ms. Keane had been helping Bubbles take care of him. At first Bubbles had taken on the responsibility all by herself, but that was a lot for a fourteen year old to handle: medical training, scout training and then add taking care of a paraplegic on top of it all?

Yeah, she lasted about a week and a half before she accepted Ms. Keane offer of help.

The tables had turned over the years and as much as Bubbles hated to admit it, Ms. Keane had taken over the primary role of caretaker for her father and she was delegated as more of a helper than anything else. Between scouting and scavenging, she didn't have a lot of time to focus her attention on other things, even her dad. So, Sandra Keane had graciously taken over the duties that Bubbles had no more time for.

It made her feel like dirt.

She felt like she was letting the Professor down in some way. It was silly she knew, but feelings didn't make much sense to begin with. And given her tendencies to think with her heart more so than her head, they made even less sense than usual.

"I'm a grown adult Bubbles, just because I can't use my legs doesn't mean I'm helpless. I can take care of myself. These kids, however, cannot." He sent the three of them a mildly perturbed look.

The only thing she had ever found the Professor to resent about his paralysis was the fact that he tended to be babied by his daughters. It wasn't like she meant to baby him! She was only worried about his health, sure she might have gone overboard once or twice but he did that too when it came to his three girls! Turnabout was fair play.

"Besides, I'm not saying Sandra would watch them full time. One of our medical staff could help her, Ellen."

"Ellen?" Buttercup's wrinkled brow revealed her confusion.

The Professor nodded before he continued. "She really isn't all that busy at the moment and the Clinic could survive without her if need be. Both she and Ms. Keane could watch the kids part time when the other one was busy. Problem solved." He finished smartly and wheeled himself forward, forcing the group to resume its walk or be left behind.

Bubbles spotted Blossom chewing on her bottom lip as she thought the Professor's suggestion over. Buttercup opened and closed her mouth a few times but couldn't come up with a way to refute the Professor. He did make some good points, but still! Ms. Keane had been looking after him for six years on the girl's behalf. Just because he could take care of himself didn't mean they didn't worry about him.

This must be what he felt like every time they used to go and fight monsters when they were younger. Bubbles sighed miserably…turnabout was fair play after all.

Blossom released her teeth's hold on her lower lip with a sigh. "Fine. Ms. Keane will look after the kids with the help of Ellen. We'll sort out accommodations for all of them in the morning. For now, can they spend the night in the Med Clinic Professor?"

Buttercup looked as if she wanted to argue, but after a moment let the issue drop. She was getting better at choosing her battles. Not much better mind you, but still, A for effort.

"Of course, we'll need to check their condition anyway before they can settle in." There was hint of smugness in his otherwise professional tone as he rolled along with a small smile of victory. It wasn't often he won against the combined reasoning, pleading, and bullying efforts of his three girls. Each triumph was a cherished memory in his mind, of that the blonde was sure.

Bubbles was reminded of the child she held in her arms when he tugged at the collar of her jacket. Deep blue eyes blinked anxiously up at her.

"Yes?"

The blonde boy raised a hand to his mouth and whispered quietly in her ear. "Ms. Queen isn't mean is she?"

The Blue Puff giggled at his innocent question. Kids were so darn cute! "Ms. Keane is one of the nicest ladies I know." She made sure to emphasize the name for him. "She used to teach me and my sisters when we were your age."

"Really?" He asked with wide eyes. Bubbles gave him a happy nod.

A small frown stole across his face for a moment before he looked back up at her. "So…she's old? She's not gonna die too is she?!"

The panicked look in his eyes made Bubbles heart go out to him. The poor kid had seen too much in his young life if that was the first conclusion he came to. Too much death and way too much fear. It was high time to change that.

"No. She's not going to die. Ms. Keane is very healthy and has many long years ahead of her. Trust me." She said and tapped him lightly on the nose. He regarded her silently for a few seconds before nodding at her and whispering out 'okay' in a small voice.

On their way towards the Med Clinic they passed by the Quartermaster's Office, it there Blossom left them.

"I trust you all can handle things from this point forward? I want a report on your injuries tomorrow morning Buttercup." She pinned the brunette with a stern mock glare.

"Tomorrow morning? Or later THIS morning?" Buttercup replied with a cocky half grin.

"You know what I meant." Came the deadpan reply.

The redhead gave the group one last wave and a kiss on the Professor's cheek, before heading off to the Quartermasters to drop off the supply bags. The Professor took control of the group and ushered them onward into the Med Clinic.

The Clinic wasn't much different from the rest of the base, just another enclosed series of rooms that had been converted to serve the Resistance's needs. The only difference between it and other spaces in the base was its size. Whereas all the other rooms were small and cramped, the Clinic was a large, open area separated in to three different sections.

Right as you walked in, you entered the largest room. It was here that dozens of gurneys and hospital beds were set up for operations and overnight patients. Near the back, a small hallway separated into two more decent sized rooms that held the Professor's laboratory and his living quarters.

As they walked into Medical building, Bubbles spied Ms. Keane near the back of the room, organizing some set of medical equipment as she was wont to do. Even ten years out of the classroom, she still had the tendency to tidy up anything and everything. The blonde guessed that part of her would never fully die out. It wasn't a bad thing though, the Professor tended to get a little messy when he was in the 'zone', in that regard he wasn't much different from a five year old.

Ms. Keane looked up at the sound of Bubbles giggles and blinked in shock at the sight of five raggedy kids staring back at her.

"Oh my…" Was her only reply as she set down a piece of equipment and met them in the middle of the room. The Professor offered her a brief smile before corralling Buttercup onto a nearby medical gurney. That left Bubbles with the job of introducing and explaining the kids to her former teacher.

"Ms. Keane, I'd like you to meet our newest recruits." The blonde said as she set Joseph down on the ground with the rest of his comrades. The little boy hid behind her leg and held her jeans in a death grip as he gazed fearfully at the tall brunette in front of them. The other kids shifted nervously as they waited for their new caretaker to speak.

"Why hello there, my names Sandra Keane. Aren't you all a bit young to be in the Resistance?" She asked as she kneeled down, not caring if she dirtied her dull gray slacks on the concrete floor.

"Na uh! I'm seven!" Kevin's claim was only slightly marred by the fact that he held up eight fingers instead of the appropriate number, but it was certainly cute enough to send Bubbles into another small fit of giggles.

Ms. Keane restrained herself to an amused smile and nodded gravely at the boy. "I see, and what might your name be?"

"Kevin."

"It's nice to meet you Kevin. And you?" One by one, she pointed to all of the children and introductions were made. The kids lost some of their hesitant attitudes as she spoke to them softly. Joseph even released his hold on Bubbles pants and shyly waved to the older woman.

Bubbles was always amazed at how well Ms. Keane could handle people. Children were no different. She had a special talent of connecting with people that Bubbles couldn't match. It allowed her to take charge subtly, without you even realizing it. Even when the Professor got into one of his obstinate moods where none of the girls could change his mind, Ms. Keane always seemed to be able to. It probably had something to do with her saint like patience; you couldn't work in the preschool career field for over a decade without it.

"For tonight, the kids will have to sleep here until Blossom can arrange quarters for them all. They'll also need to be checked out for any illnesses and what not." Bubbles explained as Ms. Keane stood up.

"We should get started then, if we want any of them in bed before dawn. A light examination should suffice for tonight." The former teacher said as she brushed off her light blue sweater and turned to find the necessary tools.

Bubbles nodded and situated the kids onto the medical beds while Ms. Keane gathered the supplies. A minute later, Ms. Keane returned and handed Bubbles a stethoscope and a small otoscope. The two set to work and began checking the kids over for anything out of the ordinary.

While they worked, the Professor finished his patch job and let Buttercup sit up. He brushed his hands lightly on his jacket after he set down his sutures, leaving faint red marks on it which would be a royal pain to clean. The brunette grimaced as she slowly slid her arm back into her tshirt and rotated her shoulder, testing the stitching that closed up the hole in her flesh.

"Careful now Buttercup. I don't want to have to stitch that up again. Here, put this on." The Professor handed her a sling. "You also said the Collector hit you in the back?"

Buttercup nodded and hid a yawn behind the back of her hand. "Ahhhhhh-yeah, it whacked me good, but don't worry too much about it dad-ahhhhh" Another yawn interrupted her.

The Professor gave her a calculating look before nodding his assent. "Alright, it's late. We'll have to take a look at it in the morning, along with a closer look at that shoulder. I want to make sure the muscle damage isn't too severe, but that will require some xrays. I should be able to give you a better recovery time estimate with a closer examination."

The Green Puff blinked at him once or twice. "Does that mean I can finally get some sleep now?"

He gave his daughter a playful exasperated look. "Yes, yes, you can go get some sleep. Try not to jar your ribs too much okay?"

"Yeah, I gotcha ya. Night dad." She bent slightly and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before sliding off the gurney. "Have a good night guys." She offered a small wave to the Bubbles, Ms. Keane, and the group of kids as she passed through the Med Clinic door.

"BYE Buttercup!" Kevin replied, waving vigorously and nearly knocking the otoscope right out of Bubbles hand. He was quite taken with her sister wasn't he?

Bubbles was just getting the little black boy to sit still again when the Professor rolled up next to her elbow, after putting away his medical equipment of course. He was nearly as OCD as Blossom was. Maybe that's where she had gotten from? People did say you picked up traits from your parental figures, whether they were actually your biological parents or not.

"How you two fairing here? Need another pair of hands?" He asked, looking to Ms. Keane as she jotted something down on her clip board in front of Betty.

"No Professor, I think Bubbles and I have things under control." She offered him a smile while pushing some of her wayward shoulder length locks behind her ear. He smile gently back at her and for a moment they held each other's eyes.

Bubbles looked sidelong at the two of them as they held their special little moment.

She was fairly certain there was something more than platonic going on there but she didn't have any concrete evidence besides a few glances like these. It was hard to dig up dirt- ahem to observe, when she was constantly away during the day. She supposed she could have just asked Ms. Keane about her suspicions, the Professor would never admit to anything like that, ...but where was the fun in that?

The moment was over soon enough and he wheeled himself back to her daughter's side to get his customary good night kiss before rolling to his quarters.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth!" Ms. Keane called after him in all seriousness.

"I think I got it!" The long suffering tone he used caused both women to share amused smile at his expense before they resumed their work.

Years of medical training and experience helped both of them make quick work of the examinations and soon enough they were settling the kid into their beds for a much needed couple hours of sleep. Besides the obvious concerns, sleep deprivation and malnutrition, all the children appeared to be physically fine. There was no immediate signs of any illness or disease. They would need a more robust examination in the morning before they were given the okay, but for now they were in the clear.

"I'm not tired." Bubbles looked up from sorting her supplies and gaped at Kevin incredulously.

Was this kid serious?

How, after having a day like they had, were you not bone tired and ready to drop? As she looked around, Bubbles saw that the other kids were actually in an alert state as well.

What the crap? Just a minute ago they looked ready to drop on their feet? Where did this come?

While Bubbles stood in shock, Ms. Keane smoothly rose to meet the challenge. She set down the last of her tools and made her way to Kevin's bed, sitting down gently on it.

"How about a bedtime story?" She asked.

His eyes grew wide and that familiar grin of his sprang onto his face. "Really?!"

Ms. Keane nodded and gestured for all the kids to gather round on the beds. They were all pushed fairly close together so they clambered they way over and sat down to listen.

"How would you like to hear a story about the Powerpuff Girls when they were your age?"

Her question was met with various forms of excited agreements, from 'wows' to 'yeahs!' With that kind of response how could you keep them waiting? Ms. Keane launched into her tale and began regaling the kids with anecdotes from Bubbles childhood.

The Blue Puff half listened to her former teacher's tales as she picked up and deposited the last of the tools into their rightful places. It was hard to listen to stories of the old days, where good always triumphed and evil was defeated. It only served as another reminder of how badly she and her sister's had screwed up. Her self-loathing was lifted slightly by the sounds of appreciation coming from the kids.

How sweet it was to be a child. If only she could go back to those days…

Story time ended all too soon, within minutes really. Ms. Keane's soothing voice combined with the day's events finally, thank the maker, crumbled the last of the kids resolve and all of them were drifting off to slumber as Bubbles stepped up to the beds.

Together, she and Ms. Keane deposited the kids back into their proper resting places and tucked them in. Bubbles made sure to leave Kevin for the older brunette. She seemed to be able to him pretty well, probably from having to put up with Mitch and Buttercup when they were younger. Any child after those two must have seemed like a cake walk.

Bubbles found herself gently settling Joseph down into his temporary bed last. As she tucked the blanket around him and pushed back his shaggy blonde bangs, a small revelation hit her.

He looked almost exactly like Boomer did when they were younger. His hair wasn't as blonde, nor were his eyes the right shade of blue, but still…just looking at him brought the Blue Ruff to mind.

She brushed back the little boy's bangs once more before bidding Ms. Keane a soft goodnight and walking off towards her quarters, her mind circling around with thoughts of the young man who had once again saved her life.

It was odd, for the second time he had risked himself to keep her from harm. Why? Was it all a trick like her sister's seemed to think? Was he trying to weasel his way into her good graces only to turn around and betray her at a later date?

The young woman frowned as she thought back to the look on his face as he yelled at her and the others to run. It hadn't looked like the face of a faker. In that look there had been genuine…concern? That might have been pushing it. He _was_ a Rowdyruff boy…definitely pushing it.

But there had been something in that look, something besides the deadpan eyes, a spark of life, of emotion. She just couldn't put her finger on it. There was more to him than what met the eyes. But what?

Now that she was avidly thinking about the blonde haired young man, she had to admit…she was curious. He _was_ different, that much was clear. His mannerisms, actions, the way he spoke. It was all different. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Bubbles waved absently to a passing sentry as she crossed into the passage way that held her train car quarters.

Maybe he would reveal more of himself the next time they met? She had no doubt that it would be soon. Blossom might have commanded her and Buttercup to avoid the boys at all costs, but Bubbles had a niggling suspicion that Fate had other plans. Her sisters would have scoffed at the idea but Bubbles knew it was true. Something in her heart told her so, and her feelings were usually right.

With a ragged sigh, the blonde passed through the door into her small abode and collapsed onto the small cot that lay upon the floor.

Tomorrow was a better time for a deep introspective like this. Besides, she could already feel sleeps welcoming embrace wrap around her.

The last thought she held before giving in was that she was going to have to thank Boomer properly next time they met for saving her life once again.

* * *

**A/N: Ms. Keane! You can't have a story without that women, it's an unspoken rule. So yeah, this chapter was a bit short but I've been dishing out some long chapters recently and this was a character introduction chapter so it works in my book. **

**It's good to be back and writing, San Fran was super great but it was even greater when I saw Scourge From BloodClan and Lily975's reviews! You guys are seriously awesome! Oh, and to answer your question Scourge, YES! I have read, and loved, Taking Responsibility! It is one of my favorite PPG fics, that and Code Blue. Both are great and you should definitely give them a read if you haven't already silent readers! It was actually Taking Responsibility that made me want to write my own fan fiction so Hoozah! Seriously, great story.**

**Next chapter: We return to the boys and the aftermath of their spontaneous raid. Boomer's got some soul searching to do.**

******Don't forget to leave a review or favorite this story! **See you guys next Saturday! 


	18. Chapter 18 - I Blame the Rock

Chapter 18 – I Blame the Rock

Dawn had fully risen by the time the Boys returned to their humble home. The sun was steadily creeping past the horizon and shining a dull pale light across the ruined city. No doubt another chilly autumn day was in store for them.

That didn't bother Boomer one bit, he had no plans whatsoever to bask in the morning light, or the afternoon light, nor even the evening light for that matter. Once he got home, he was retreating to his dark room and sleeping the entire day away, hell maybe he'd sleep through the night too.

Yeah, a twenty four hour nap sounded real good, especially considering he had been up for over a day and a half. He had to make that up somehow right?

One by one, the three brothers trudged up the nine flights of stairs to their apartment door. The exhilaration of their victory had lost some of its shininess and the thrill of battle had disappeared, leaving them all exhausted and worn out. Even Butch had run out of compliments to give himself on a job well done.

For the last two hours, each of them had been stewing in their own thoughts. They weren't a group that partook in idle chit chat just for the hell of it. Well, Butch did to an extent, but they usually ignored him.

Boomer echoed his brother's grateful sighs as they finally climbed the last flight of stairs and reached their floor. Once again, these thrice damned stairs were more of a hindrance than a help. But do you think that would make Brick change his mind about them?

Nope, the Ruff leader didn't even make a comment as he shouldered open the door and made his way straight to the dining room, with its table full of maps and papers. Lightly depositing his weaponry on the table top, he picked up a spare pencil and began making small marks on the map spread out in front of him.

Man, could that guy even take a second to think of something other than missions and planning? His dedication was admirable, but it did border precariously on the edge of obsession. Boomer had never known Brick to be any other way, when he focused on something he _really_ focused. Maybe that was just the way he was created?

There was an interesting thought.

While Brick might have still been in mission mode, Butch most definitely wasn't. The brunette kicked off his dusty boots and plopped on the couch with a happy sigh the minute he passed through the door. He stretched out his arms with a yawn and vaguely motioned to his discarded shoes. "Put those away Boomer."

Boomer inwardly scowled but did as he was told and picked up the wayward boots to put them in the closet with his own.

Did Butch have to be so messy? Seriously, having a messy room was one thing, that was his domain and he could do whatever the hell he wanted with it, but the living room? Come on! That belonged to everyone; he could at least shove them off to the side or something. But then again, that would require Butch to think of someone besides himself. That wasn't going to happen any time soon.

"Man, I have to admit it…I was pretty fucking awesome tonight. Yep!" His brother said to no one in particular as he folded his hand behind his head and leaned back into the couch.

Definitely not going to happen anytime soon.

He could be such a self-centered jackass some times. Wait, scratch that, most of the time. With a roll of his eyes, Boomer chose not to reply to Butch's self-praise and instead walked over to his older brother to see what he was doing.

The redhead had marked a small black X mark on the map where the outpost they had attacked had been. It was underwhelming when he saw it like that, especially since dozens of other bases were annotated across the map. It seemed like a much smaller accomplishment when compared with how much farther they still had to go.

"One down, only seventy six more to go." He heard Brick mutter as he finished jotting down his notes on a spare piece of paper.

That did little to bolster his rapidly sinking sense of achievement.

Boomer torn his eyes from the map and looked at his brother as the Red Ruff stood up straight and regarded the chart with an emotionless face. What was he thinking?

It was always hard to decipher, even for the blonde, and he was pretty good at reading people. It probably came from the fact that he would rather watch and listen than talk. It had its benefits, especially when handling Butch, but with Brick…Seconds ticked by but still the redhead's expression gave nothing away.

Did he think they had done a good job? Unlikely, this was Brick after all. Instead, he was probably thinking through all of the things they had done wrong last night and figuring out ways they could have been performed better. There would be a lecture on the matter at a later date no doubt. Good times.

Or was he thinking about how little progress they had made like Boomer was?

When he looked at the map, the blonde couldn't help but feel any remaining sense of accomplishment dwindle down to nothing. The overwhelming number of outposts and bases strewn across the map was depressing at the best of times. Add the tiny little X mark and he could see just how far they still had to go. That just made it utterly disheartening.

How were they ever going to take out all of those? It didn't seem possible, especially considering their victory tonight had primarily been thanks to luck. They didn't have the resources or the man power to keep on pressing the attack. They were only three young men after all. Even if they could take out, say… one base a week…Mojo had more than enough resources to keep building more; at a far faster rate than they could take them out too.

When he thought about it like that, it seemed liked a hopeless situation. Not that he would say it had been overly hopeful in any way to begin with.

The blonde heaved a quiet sigh at his depressing thoughts, jarring Brick out of his musings. His older brother glanced at him a moment before turning his gaze back to the map.

"You both did…well…tonight."

Boomer blinked and snuck a quick glance at Brick to make sure he hadn't been hearing things. The sour look on the redhead's face confirmed it…Brick had just praised his brothers.

Boomer glanced out the window, but saw no airborne swine outside. That couldn't be right. The day Brick actually complimented his brothers was the day hell froze over and pigs flew.

Seriously, the last time he had got a straight compliment out of the man was when he had accidently lit that convenient store on fire when he was nine. How was he supposed to know trying to keep your eyes open when you sneezed caused their eye lasers to fire?

But it had happened again…Brick actually told him and Butch they did well…would wonders never cease?

"However…" The intense red gaze switched from the map and pinned Boomer in place.

Oh, he should have known there was a catch. Here it comes.

The blonde cringed softly as his brother's stare bore straight into his skull. There was no emotion in it like usual, but it didn't make it an easier to meet Brick's eyes. When Boomer finally did manage to maintain eye contact, Brick arched an eyebrow at him.

"Why didn't you wait for my command?" It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was referring to; even Boomer wasn't that stupid, no matter what his middle brother liked to say.

"Uhhhhhh…" Not the best answer he could have given, true, but he wasn't too quick on the uptake at the moment. Besides, he was tired, give him a break.

What could he even say to that? He honestly had no idea why he had thrown that rock. It had just happened. Maybe some deep introspective thought on the subject later would reveal a different reason but for now, that was the best he had.

Brick most likely wouldn't accept that answer though, there was no logic to it. The Red Ruff always had to see logic in everything, but sometimes …there wasn't any.

The blonde shrugged uncomfortably. "…They were gonna die…couldn't let that happen."

'Yeah that sounded intelligent, way to go Boomer my boy.' The Blue Ruff thought to himself as he stood stock still. His brother's stare bore into him for a few more seconds before Brick nodded and turned away to gather up his weapons.

Wait…that was it?

"Next time wait for my orders before you act on your own. I wouldn't have let them die; they're too valuable to us at the moment." His brother turned back around and pointed a finger at him. "I don't care that you saved them, but I do care that you almost got all of us killed because of your spontaneity. Don't do it again."

Boomer nodded his agreement and hoped that would be the end of it, but of course it wasn't. Butch sat up and finally joined the conversation.

"Yeah! You almost got us killed, not that it would have happened; I mean, one Collector? Psh, yeah right. But still! Why did you throw damn rock? What were you thinking?"

Boomer turned to address him, but before he could reply Butch laughed to himself.

"Wait, I forgot… you don't think. Hehehe. Man, if I didn't know any better I'd say it was like you almost cared whether they lived or not."

Boomer took a moment to consider his brother's words. Did he care?

…

No, of course not. He was a Rowdyruff for God's sake.

"Brick still needs to talk to one of them remember? I think two of them getting killed by a Collector when we could have stopped it wouldn't have helped that agenda at all."

Butch shrugged and sent him a blasé look. "Eh, Pinkie wouldn't have ever known we were there. It wouldn't have been too bad. At least then that annoying green bitch would be out of my hair for good. God, she bugs the crap out of me." He trailed off into a string of muttered curses, to which Boomer rolled his eyes.

"I don't think only one Powerpuff girl would be enough for Brick's plan. He probably needs all three." The blonde said as he looked at his leader and waited for his response.

It would have been helpful if he actually knew what Brick's plan was, but of course the redhead hadn't seen fit to share it with his two brothers. Like usual.

It was a surprise that Brick even responded to Boomer's thinly veiled question at all. Sure, it was just a little absent minded nod, but it was more of a response than he usually got. The redhead was preoccupied with staring out the dining room window while he rubbed thoughtfully at his scar. After a moment, a twitch pulled at the corner of his mouth.

Slowly, much to Boomer's surprise, a small smirk developed. It was a cold smile, more of a grimace really, but in it, was a hint of devious mirth. It was slightly terrifying when he considered who was making that expression.

"Uh…Brick?" Butch turned around at Boomer's question and blinked in astonishment as he too spotted the rare emotion displayed on his brother's face.

The two of them shared an uneasy look as Brick's smirk continued to grow into a full smile, teeth showing and everything. If it wasn't weird before, it was downright creepy now. What the crap was he thinking that could make him smile like that?

"Bricccccckkkk?" Butch cautiously ventured as he sat motionless.

Boomer lightly waved his hand in front of Brick's vacant eyes and that finally snapped him out of whatever trance he had entered. Quickly the smirk disappeared and his normal emotionless mask was once again firmly on his face.

Thank God.

"I do need all three…and now they owe us." Again the twitch pulled at the corner of his mouth. "This could be just the thing we need." Abruptly, he turned and walked off towards his bedroom without any further explanation; leaving his two brothers in a state of confusion.

They watched in silence as he disappeared into his room and shut the door. A minute or two passed before Boomer shook himself.

That was officially weird. Brick looked almost…happy for a split second. More like a micro second, but it was still there.

He wasn't quite sure how to handle that. A surly Brick, that was pretty run of the mill, like a pissed off Butch. An emotionless Brick, that too was par for the course and easily handled. He just had to keep his head down and do what he was told and he could continue on his merry little way doing whatever he really pleased. No insults, no getting smacked upside the head. Easy as pie.

But a happy Brick? What the hell?

Boomer looked back towards Butch and received a mystified shrug. At least he wasn't the only one caught off guard by this.

"That was fucking weird…" Bluntly put, like always. Good to know one of his brothers was acting normal.

After another moment of silence the brunette shook himself. "Whatevs, I'm getting some shut eye." The Green Ruff shoved himself to his feet and headed to his room, flexing him arm and wincing as he did so.

"Don't forget to take care of your arm." The blonde mumbled as he passed by.

Butch shot him a sour look. "No, really? Thanks for the tip genius." He scoffed one last time before slamming his bedroom door closed.

Well…the truce between them hadn't lasted long had it? Boomer heaved a sigh. What a day. Thank goodness it was finally over. Wearily, he followed his brothers' lead and walked into his bedroom.

He shut the door with a soft click and prepared himself for bed. As he stripped down and changed into his pajamas, he couldn't help but think back and examine his actions throughout the night, particularly the rock throwing moment.

Damn his introspective tendencies.

For some reason his mind just couldn't let that moment go. He would have been completely happy to forget about it and fall into blissful sleep but nooooo, his brain had to keep replaying the moment over and over again, completely against his will too.

Once changed, Boomer fell down onto his bed and pillowed his head in his arms. So he had thrown a rock, big deal, what of it? He should chalk it up to instinct or temporary insanity or some other likely mental break down. Butch did stuff like that all the time, acted without thinking. Maybe he was just absorbing some of his brother's tendencies?

…No that didn't seem right. Instinct required a lack of thought, and he had that in over abundance. It didn't do him much good most of the time, but what could you do?

So if it wasn't some sort of instinctual response, then what? He knew it wasn't some devious part of him trying to get collateral on the girls like Brick thought. That simply wasn't his nature. Not that he'd ever admit that to his brothers.

There had to be something that made him do it. A reason…..

He didn't know how much time passed as he mulled over his actions. Ten minutes, thirty minutes, an hour? It could have been any amount of time. Still nothing came to him.

Maybe he was thinking about this too deeply?

He couldn't stop the self-deprecating laugh at that thought. Of course he was thinking about it too deeply, that was always his problem. The answer was probably right in front of his face.

'Okay Boomer, think back. What were you feeling when you saw those girls?' He thought to himself.

Slowly he ran the moment over once more in his mind, not dissecting it like he had been, just letting it play out; trying to feel the emotions again.

What he found both surprised and disturbed him.

When it came right down to it, the only reason he could find for throwing that rock was that he didn't want the girls to die. Not, he _couldn't_ let them die…he didn't _want_ them to die.

The revelation made him blink and stare at his ceiling in bewilderment. That made no sense…they were Powerpuff Girls, he was a Rowdyruff Boy. He had been made SPECIFICALLY to destroy them.

How could he not want them to die?

Good thing he hadn't come to this revelation sooner, if Butch ever found out he would yell at him for at least an hour and then proceed to beat some sense back into him. He could do without that, thank you very much… Or maybe he needed it? At this point, he wasn't sure.

Ahhh! This was so freaking confusing! Ever since the mall incident he had been discombobulated, out of whack, whatever you wanted to call it and it was driving him mad. He was Boomer! The most emotionally stable out of his brothers. He shouldn't be this….weird.

That was the only word he could come up with to fit his situation. He felt…weird.

With a groan, he tried to smother his thoughts with a pillow. It didn't work of course, but man…why couldn't he just go to sleep? He was tired enough. But every time he closed his eyes, there she was…it was disgusting.

Stupid blonde ditz…with her stupid, cute pigtails.

Wait, cute? What the hell?!

Did he seriously just think that?! With another groan he resumed trying to smother himself in hopes that the lack of oxygen would finally send him off to sleep.

It was official, he was insane. Crazy, off his rocker, completely clocked out. He needed to get Butch to punch him in the face, maybe that would knock his brain back into a semi functioning state.

After a minute or two of wallowing in self-pity tinged with disgust, Boomer lifted the pillow away from his face and took a deep breath.

'Calm down Boomer…calm yourself down. You're just tired is all. It's been a hell of a long day and your mind is playing tricks on you. Besides she's the only girl you've seen in like seven year, of course you'd apply the term cute to her. It's a natural type of thing. Just chill out.'

The blonde sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. Yeah, yeah…he was tired was all.

Breathe in…breathe out.

Sleep would help him. With sleep, his mind would cease its useless ramblings and be rejuvenated. And when he woke up, all these traitorous thoughts about cute pigtails and sky blue eyes would be gone, just something he could mark down as byproducts of exhaustion. Yeah…sleep.

Breathe in…breathe out...sleep….

The blonde was out before he could form another thought.

* * *

**A/N:**** And there you have it! I know, not a terribly exciting chapter but it has a purpose! Besides, we get to see what's going on in Little Boy Blue's head and that's always fun. Especially him and his traitorous thoughts.**

**Thanks again to my faithful reviewers Scourge from the BloodClan and Lily975, I know I say this a lot but you guys rule! As for Ms. Bellum and the Mayor...you'll just have to wait and see! Hehehehe!**

**If you haven't favorited, followed, or reviewed this story and you've made it this far then I encourage you to do so! I always like hearing from my readers and you never know when I will upload a surprise update! BUT if you click on the follow button then you would! :D Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read this and sticking with me. You guys are all cool cats in my book.**

**Oh! And I never did thank Flutejrp, Lynn7667, cruelistnightmare, and xAngelReaperx for favoriting and following this story! Sorry about that but here's a belated super Thank YOU! See, these guys are cools cats, you want to be one too...you know you do.**

**Next Chapter: Something major is on the horizon. What is Blossom planning? Tune in next Saturday to find out! ****Until then dear readers! **


	19. Chapter 19 - The Time Has Come

**A/N: Alright, since the last two chapters have been kind of short, and Lily wanted a Blossom chapter, AND Scourge asked oh so nicely...mid week update! Enjoy**

Chapter 19 – The Time Has Come

Dawn came far too early for Blossom's taste. She was naturally a morning person, but with less than four hours of sleep even she was struggling to wake up. The base wasn't going to run itself unfortunately at least not yet, so sleep be damned.

The camp was just starting to stir to life as she made her way to the Command Center after grabbing a quick meal from the Quad. She passed a few personnel casually strolling towards breakfast, trying to wipe the sleep from their eyes, and gave them a brief nod as they saluted her.

Blossom couldn't help but feel good about this whole endeavor as she saw the Sentry guards changing watches. Her camp might have had a rough time starting up, but now it was finally starting to run smoothly, like a real military base should of.

It had been one of her biggest fears really, this was the first command she had ever truly held on her own and she wanted it to be textbook perfect. She _needed_ it to be perfect. How else would she prove herself to her superiors?

It was amazing they had even honored her request to lead this mission to begin with. The Powerpuff Girls were the one bright shining hope of the Resistance, it was a big decision to take them out of the limelight and secret them away to Old Townsville. Troop moral must have suffered badly from that, not that it wasn't already suffering from their defeat in Paraguay.

That had been the battle that spurred Blossom to take action. The Resistance had been steadily losing ground and men as the years passed. The decisive loss at one of their few South American strongholds had been a blow the Resistance couldn't afford to take. Like it or not, they were on the ropes.

Standing by, watching the base be overrun by Mojo's army had been one of the worst things Blossom had ever done. She was helpless to stop the tide of destruction and death. It brought into perspective just how powerless they were becoming as this terrible war dragged on.

Thus, Blossom had come up with a plan.

The Powerpuffs were a valuable asset to the Resistance, but they could have been doing so much more than standing by and helping defend bases. It hadn't been working anyway, bases were still falling left and right and the Resistance was getting crushed under the manpower Mojo wielded. They needed to change tactics.

It was three and a half months ago she had proposed Operation End Game to Field Marshal Fisher, the leader of the Resistance military. It was a simple plan, send the Girls up to Townsville, the heart of the Mojo Empire, and have them start diversionary strikes in his home territory.

It would divert his attention from the war front and give the Resistance valuable time to regroup and gather their strength. And then, when the military council decided the time was right, they would strike.

They would commence one final attack, straight into the heart of the empire, New Townsville itself. How the Resistance would get their scatter army from all over the world to Townsville, Blossom didn't have a clue but that wasn't her part of the mission.

Hers was to keep Mojo distracted and relieve the pressure off her superiors enough to let them do what they needed. It was a desperate gamble but really….what else could they do? These were desperate times.

The deadline for action was soon approaching in her little base. After two and a half months, it was almost fully operational and that meant the raids could be initiated at last. Finally, she could do what she had set out to do. No more holding back, no more hesitating.

Soon.

Blossom walked through the Command Center entrance and made her way to her usual haunt, the Map Room. Her plan was disrupted however by the sounds of activity coming from the Operations Room.

What was going on? Nobody but a skeleton crew was supposed to be up to the room, she poked her head through and blinked in shock at the sight before her.

Instead of two bored personnel like she expected, the room was buzzing with people. Four people worked the radios and computers while another three soldiers moved between them and the map at the center of the room, marking down notations and other information they received. And supervising it all was one instantly recognizable person.

Mitch turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder when Blossom cleared her throat. "General!"

A hush fell over the room as the Mitch spoke. The entire batch of soldiers stopped their work and looked at her with mixed expressions: confusion, a bit of panic, relief at her presence, and above all, excitement. Now what had whipped them up into a frenzy this early in the morning? Time to find out.

Blossom stepped fully into the room and approached her first lieutenant. "What's going on? Has something bad happened?"

"Not necessarily…well, we're not actually really sure."

Blossom arched an eyebrow at Mitch's unhelpful answer. "That doesn't tell me anything Mitch. Give me information, not empty words. And you lot, as you were." At her nod, the frozen personnel hopped to her command and once again dove back into their work, murmuring into the radios and passing papers back and forth.

"Um, at 0500 this morning, scouts in sector 15 reported an unusual disturbance in the area. The watch leader came and grabbed me and I gave the scout the go ahead to investigate further. At 0530 he reported back in and said that it looked like the Simian outpost in the sector had been attacked."

Blossom snapped her head towards him as soon as he finished. "Attacked? A Mojo outpost? Why wasn't I informed immediately?" Her tone might have been a bit harsh, but this was big!

An attack? It hadn't been one of theirs; she hadn't even authorized anything more than single man scouting missions at this point. Unless some of her soldiers had decided they'd had enough waiting and took matters into their own hands.

"I sent a runner to go grab you as soon as we got word, but you weren't in your quarters." Mitch replied as he shrugged at her.

Blossom nodded and looked down at the map. Sector 15…wasn't too far away, five and a half or six miles. She traced a finger lightly across the map's surface, searching the area for….something.

"Any word on who did it? Have we even confirmed it was an attack?" She asked as she examined the map. There was something nagging at her about it…but sleep was still fogging up her brain and it was hard to filter through her thoughts correctly.

"There was smoke seen rising from inside the base, a lot of it." Mitch said.

"It could have been a malfunction with one of their machines. Wasn't there a filtration station or something there?"

"Power Relay actually, and it could have been a malfunction…if it wasn't for the scout reporting the gate to the outpost was completely obliterated. He said it looked like something had punched straight through it and tore it off its hinges. He also reported seeing the outpost garrison running around like their pants were on fire and a couple of busted up sentry bots by the gate, that all points to an attack, not a malfunction or accident."

Blossom nodded absently and bit down on her lip. The gate was punched right through? What could have done that? Who could have done that? As far as she knew, her small band of Resistance soldiers were the only anti-Mojo forces in the entire state. Well, the only well-equipped forces she should say.

The Outskirts was full of anti-Simian rebels, but they didn't have the fire power to do something like this. They couldn't even have gotten there; the Outskirts were a good twenty five miles east of their position.

Maybe it someone from New Townsville? Bubbles and Buttercup did say there had been anti-Emperor sentiment there in the past…No that didn't make sense either. Any attack based out of New Townsville would have to go through the Divide first, and why would you go through that maze of bases and garrisons just to attack a small outpost on the other side? It didn't make any sense.

That left only one possibility, there was another force working from inside Old Townsville, like herself.

Hmmm, maybe…

No, definitely not.

Blossom squinted down at the map as if it held the answers. "Do we have an estimate of what time the attack occurred?"

Mitch shook his head. "Not really, the scout didn't get into sector 15 until 0430, that's when he spotted the smoke column rising from the outpost. From what he reports, guards had been doubled around the entrances, but they weren't terribly alert-"

"Meaning it had been awhile since the attack." Blossom finished his sentence for him.

"There was something else though." Blossom switched her pink gaze from the map towards Mitch as he spoke. "The scout reports along the south, here-"He pointed to a road running from the outpost. "There were a lot of signs of destruction. Crushed streets, burnt cars, harpoons."

And just like that, it all clicked into place in Blossom's mind. Her eyes snapped back to the map and she finally found the something she had been searching for, a name.

Trevor station, located in Sector 15.

Of course! Her sisters scavenging mission! How could she have forgotten that?! The last dredges of sleep fled as her mind fully awakened and focused on what she knew.

Originally, her sisters were supposed to be in sector 7 for their mission, some four miles south east of the outpost. That was before the run in they had with the Collector that forced them to change course.

It was possible they had been corralled past the outpost and the Collector had mistakenly attacked it. That would explain the gate being ripped off its hinges. Those monsters were strong enough to punch through three feet of solid steel; a gate would be like cardboard to them.

The only problem with that theory was that the girls hadn't mentioned anything about an outpost in their mission debriefing last night. There was that moment though, when Bubbles had abruptly interrupted that little boy. Kevin, if she remembered correctly. Could that have been the secret she hadn't wanted him to tell?

Blossom frowned in thought, not entirely satisfied with her conjectures. It didn't add up in her mind. There was also a certain possibility that she really didn't want to consider buzzing around the back of her mind. She paid it little heed and made up her mind. Buttercup had sent her a look the other night that said she had more to explain later, when they were in private.

Well, now was a good a time as any.

"Keep at it, I'll be back." Blossom called over her shoulder as she turned from the map and walked quickly from the Operations Room.

"Okay?" Blossom heard Mitch's confused reply but didn't pay attention to it.

She couldn't keep her mind from racing through all the information she had received in the past fifteen minutes, trying to puzzle it all together. What were the facts?

Her sisters had been on a mission, during their mission they had come across orphans and consequently, a Collector. The Collector chased them all the way into sector 15 and then malfunctioned, allowing the girls and their charges to make their escape. The malfunctioning part was a load of bull, that much was obvious by Buttercup's cringing avoidance and Bubbles nervousness.

So if the Collector hadn't malfunctioned in the first place, how'd her sisters get away? And why didn't they want to say it last night? The only people they were telling were her and the Profes- Blossom's eyes widen as she came across the missing puzzle piece.

Was it possible? For the third time? The odds weren't that bad, given the last month, but no…Blossom was a logical minded person, she'd get her sister's full story before she jumped to conclusions. Which was why Buttercup was about to get an early wake up call.

It was time to find out what really happened last night.

Blossom walked up to her sister's train car and hammered on the door. "Buttercup? Wake up! I need to talk to you." A few seconds passed and she heard a thump or two before the door opened.

Buttercup blearily looked her, blinking a few times with a frown marring her features. "What the hell? What time is it?" She asked while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"0615, we need to talk." Before Buttercup could protest, Blossom grabbed her sister's arm and guided her back inside her quarters.

Blossom slid the door shut and rounded on the zombiefied Green Puff.

"Geez, couldn't even wait for me to wake up could you? The Professor says I'll have to go through a deeper exam this morning before he can tell me how long a recovery time I'll need. I'm guessing roughly two weeks." Buttercup said through a yawn as she plopped back down on her bed.

"No, that's not why I'm here-"

Buttercup cut her sister off with an indignant glare. It was a pitiful sleep filled glare, but a glare none the less. "Then why the hell did you wake me up at six in the morning?"

Blossom pinned her with stern pink eyes. "If you let me finish my sentence then you would know." The Green Puff huffed a bit but motioned for her sister to continue.

"What really happened last night? I know the Collector didn't malfunction, I have an inkling about what really went on, but I want to hear it from you."

Buttercup blinked at Blossom's question, taking a moment to process it. When she did, her shoulders slumped and she released a small, bitter laugh. "You wanna know what happened? Two words-"

"Rowdyruff Boys?" Buttercup nodded as Blossom finished her sentence. "Dammit, I was hoping I was wrong…what did they do?"

Buttercup shrugged uncomfortably and shied away from Blossom's intense pink gaze.

That was weird, Buttercup never backed down like that. A little pit of worry started gnawing at her stomach as she briefly ran through a number of distasteful scenarios that could have happened to her little sisters last night. None of them were good.

"Buttercup. What happened?" She asked again in a stern voice.

The brunette heaved a sigh and looked up at Blossom through her eyelashes; on her lips was a small…pout?

"The Collector didn't malfunction, it was right about to run us through when a rock hit it from behind."

"A rock?" Blossom blinked in disbelief. That wasn't what she had been expecting at all.

Buttercup managed a weary nod. "Yeah, a rock. After it got hit, the Collector paused its attack and turned around to see what had interrupted it. That's when we saw them. The Rowdyruff Boys. Not just Butch or Boomer, Brick was there too. The entire lot of 'em."

Blossom sucked in an imperceptible breath at hearing that. It was confirmed now; all three Rowdyruff Boys lived still and were working together. She had feared this from the first time Bubbles had mentioned Boomer. Alone, one of the Rowdyruff Boys wasn't a threat; even two of them weren't that much to worry over. All three however…this could be very bad.

Blossom stopped nibbling on her lip, she really needed to stop doing that, and arched an eyebrow at her sister. "…They threw a rock at the Collector?" She asked in confusion.

Buttercup smirked a bit. "Yeah, Butch was surprised too, and pissed. Boy was he pissed. I thought he was going to forgot the Collector and pound Boomer into moosh right then and there."

Blossom sat down beside her sister and chewed on the thought for a second. "Boomer threw the rock?"

"Yep, Butch and Brick looked as caught off guard as Bubbles and I were. Hell, Boomer did too actually. It was only a few seconds later until Brick joined in and started chucking rocks at the Collector too. Both he and Boomer kept pelting it and just like that, it forgot about us and started chasing them. Boomer yelled at us to run as they left, drawing the Collector away." Buttercup lounged back against her pillow as she finished her tale; watching Blossom intently and waiting to see how she'd react.

Blossom herself was waiting to see how she'd react. She had no clue how to feel about this new development. It was so unlike anything they had dealt with in the past involving the Rowdyruffs, she had no clue as to what to do.

All this saving business seemed too good to be true, they were evil villains. Villains didn't save people they did the opposite. This had to be a trap of some sort, the Boys had close ties with Mojo before the war took over and who said that had changed?

Well, besides Boomer and Butch. Seeing as how they could still be evil they couldn't vouch for themselves.

Yet, even as she thought that, there were doubts in her brain. And of course Bubbles voice had to keep replaying in her head about how different Boomer had been in her meeting with him. With only three meetings to go on, and none of them with Blossom present, there was really no way to puzzle out whether they were telling the truth or playing them for fools.

It was entirely possible for Boomer to have changed for the better over the last ten years; he had always been the soft one of the three, but Butch and Brick? That didn't seem plausible, especially Brick. That boy had been as cold as ice and as malicious as a Doberman, the thought of him taming his malign nature was too much for her to believe. This whole wanting to talk business had to be a sham.

Blossom huffed out a breath and rubbed at her eyes. Still Buttercup sat and watched the emotions play out on her face. The redhead drew her hands away and looked at her sister.

"What do you think?"

Buttercup lifted up her one good shoulder in a shrug with a sour look on her face. "I don't know Bloss, I mean, I'd be dead right now if they hadn't interfered but at the same time, I can't believe they're all magically good now…its gotta be a trap of some sort."

Blossom nodded slowly at her. "Yeahhh….."

Weighing the odds in her mind, Blossom finally came to a decision. She pushed herself off the bed and onto her feet.

In the end it really only came down to one thing: was she willing to sacrifice the safety of this base and its personnel to satisfy her curiosity. Was she willing to bet it on the less than likely odds that the Rowdyruffs had really changed for the better?

The answer to that was a resolute no. She wasn't about to court a pit of vipers on the off chance that they were telling the truth. Beside, boys usually lied anyway, especially these boys.

"Wait, that's it?"

Blossom paused as she opened the door and realized she had essentially forgotten about Buttercup during her inner debate. The brunette didn't look pleased.

The disgruntled Green Puff had a cross look across her brows. "That was all you needed?"

Blossom nodded silently in reply.

"Why the hell couldn't this have waited until a more reasonable time in the morning?! Like eight!"

It was then that the attack on the outpost came back to the forefront of Blossom's mind. Oh yes, how could she have forgotten about that? It _was_ six in the morning; maybe she should grab a cup of coffee on the way back to the Command Center?

"A Mojo outpost was found to have been destroyed this morning in Sector 15. Given what you've just told me, I'm guessing it was the Rowdyruffs who did it."

Blossom waited for her little sister to say something, but Buttercup just stood there gaping at her. She probably needed a cup of coffee too. With a light shrug Blossom turned back around and exited out of the train. A curse rang out behind her and the door slammed as she walked away.

Barely a minute later, a fully dressed and slightly bedraggled Buttercup jogged up to her side. Trying to smooth out her crazed hair, the brunette glanced around the area to make sure they were alone before leaning in close.

"The Boys destroyed an outpost last night?" She asked quietly. It was a surprising amount of tact that Buttercup rarely showed. Maybe she should wake her up this early every day?

"It's likely that's what happened. There isn't any other reasonable explanation for why it was attacked that I've thought of."

"But, that…no…just no." Buttercup continued to mutter to herself as she glared at the ground.

Whether it was in confusion or she was just pissed off at the thought of the Boys doing something she had been itching to do for the past two months, Blossom had no clue. She let her have her sulking session though and the two of them walked the rest of the way to the Command Center in a thoughtful silence.

The Operations Room hadn't changed during Blossom's little trip. The personnel were running around with a little less fervor now but the air of excitement hadn't died down one bit. Mitch looked up as the two of them entered the room. He offered Buttercup a surprised smile.

"Whoa, what the crap are you doing up?" He looked at his watch in wonder. "It's not even seven yet."

"Thanks Captain Obvious." Buttercup sent him a deadpan stare.

"You're welcome Sergeant Sarcasm." His cheeky grin was entirely too cheerful for the hour.

It did, however, succeed in making Buttercup drop her glare and smirk at him. With a light shake of her head, she stepped up beside him at the table and smacked him lightly. Blossom glanced at them from the corner of her eye as she too stepped up to the map table.

Their camaraderie was nothing new, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was something more going on there. Not that it was any of her business if there was; Buttercup was old enough to make her own decisions. Besides, she was the base commander; she didn't have time to ponder gossip and relationships between her personnel. She had more important things to worry about, like this outpost attack.

Still…the older sister side of her couldn't help but wonder…

Mitch and Buttercup's small chuckles about something or other were interrupted as Blossom cleared her throat and captured their attention. "Anything new since I've been gone Lieutenant?"

"No Ma'am. The scout reports that the outpost is still pretty much in a panic but that's about it. Who would have thought one attack would have them running around like chickens with their heads cut off?" He directed his last question at the brunette beside him.

Buttercup scoffed lightly. "Please, you've seen their formations. They're sloppy and pitiful. These guys aren't nothing like the kind of troops we fought in Buenos Aires. Hell, ten bucks says half of them would run in a real fire fight."

Mitch nodded his assent but Blossom paused in her examination of the map as she thought about their words.

It was true that these Simian troops weren't as…proficient as their counterparts in the war zone. They were as green as the spring grass and it showed in all the small ambushes and scouting missions she had initiated so far. If this was how they reacted to a small and most likely, impromptu attack, how would they react to something that was thoroughly planned and executed by professionals?

Her guess, not well.

Wheels began turning in her mind as Blossom went over her mental checklist of the preparation level of the base. While it was far from ideal, they had come a long way in the last month and a half and were almost at a level she had deemed acceptable for the raids to commence. She would have liked to wait another two or three weeks before committing to anything, but this attack presented far too good an opportunity.

Never before had Old Townsville been attacked, not that she had known at least. The Simian army would be thrown off kilter for at least the next forty eight hours, maybe even more. They wouldn't expect another attack happening right on the heels of the last one.

The time to strike was_ now_.

Her meticulously planned and organized mind was resistant to the idea, protesting that it wasn't time yet, that there was still more to do, but she had learned how to be objective over the years and blocked that little voice out. If they were going to succeed in their mission here they needed to be bold.

What could be bolder than a raid that no one was expecting?

Making up her mind, Blossom looked up from the map and turned. Buttercup and Mitch caught the movement and ceased their conversation to look at Blossom curiously.

"Mitch, I want the Advanced Tactics and Armaments Squad assembled and fully geared up by 1500 hours in training ground Beta. Make sure they are ready to go and receive mission parameters."

He shared a looked with Buttercup for a moment before turning back to Blossom with a bewildered expression on his face, saluting hesitantly. "Of course Ma'am, but ahhh can I ask what for General?"

"The Resistance will be commencing Operation RASE…tonight." She replied in a perfectly calm manner, as if commenting on the weather, instead of telling them that they were about to abandon stealth and start an open raiding war against the largest empire in the world.

Understandably, both Mitch and Buttercup were stuck gaping at her for at least twenty seconds. It was Buttercup who was the first to recover, letting out a loud YES and pumping her fist in the air.

"Finally! I thought you were never going to start these Blossom! Ah man, this is so boss. We're finally going to attack! No more of this sneaking around crap, not that it isn't important or anything but, yes! This is so sweet! I need to go get my gear together." The look of glee in her eyes was almost frightening to a degree; especially when it was matched with her sister's well known blood-thirsty nature. Blossom hadn't seen her sister this excited since they learned they were leaving Chile to come to Townsville.

And here she had to be the bearer of bad news.

"Don't bother, you won't be going." Blossom steeled herself for the firestorm to come.

Silence reigned after her statement; everyone in the room paused mid action and tried to become as invisible as possible. Mitch looked between the two sisters before slowly taking a few steps back from the table. He was no fool.

It only took three point four seconds for the shit to hit the fan so to speak.

"WHAT?! What do you mean I won't be going?! Why the fuck not?!" The Green Puff took a few aggressive steps towards her older sister who was still concentrating on the map.

"Language Buttercup." Blossom muttered out of habit before she could stop herself.

The redhead mentally winced. Curses, that wasn't going to help matters at all.

Buttercup let out a low growl from the base of her throat and grabbed Blossom by the shoulder, turning her around to look her in the eye. "Don't you tell me to watch my fucking language! Not now! I've been waiting for this for months! MONTHS! And now you're telling me I can't go?! Are you shitting me?!"

The redhead could understand her anger, in fact she had fully expected it, but this was going beyond a few angry words. Buttercup genuinely looked ready to punch someone, the mostly likely candidate being herself. This was on its way to becoming a full out temper tantrum and Blossom wasn't going to have any of _that_. Especially not from a twenty year old that should know better, in a room full of lower rank soldiers who looked up to her.

And just like that, the soft pink of her eyes hardened into two jeweled chips. The glare she directed at her little sister was enough to make her pause in mid rant.

"You're injured, you're not going, that's final." She held the brunette in her glare for a second more before turning back to the map. Now to see if Buttercup would act like an adult and accept her circumstances or continue to act like a child.

"My stupid arm is why you're holding me back?! I can still run, still hold a gun, I can still be of use to you in the field. Come on Blossom! You can't do this to me!" Buttercup ended on a pleading note with her arm uplifted, as if wanting to grab Blossom and shake some sense into her.

"I can and I just did. Now." Blossom pinned her younger sister with a stare. "Don't you have a medical exam to get done this morning?"

Buttercup stood there for a minute, silently opening and closing her mouth before she gave up. With an aggravated grunt, she shoved a nearby chair into the wall and stomped out of the room. Of course when Buttercup was mad, she forgot to reign in her strength, so the chair end up crashing loudly against the concrete wall before it tumbled to the floor with a clatter.

Mitch cringed violently as Buttercup stormed out past him, muttering vile curses under her breath. The poor young man probably wished he was a fly on the wall right now. Good God, so did she. That girl made Blossom want to pull her hair out half the time. Grrrrrr.

Like always, Blossom kept her cool and waited until she could no longer hear Buttercup's vicious boot steps echoing down the hall before returning her consideration to the map on the table. Mitch cautiously joined her after a few seconds. He looked decidedly uncomfortable. Poor guy.

"Yes Lieutenant?"

He hesitated briefly, licking his lips, before he answered her. "Umm Ma'am, if Buttercup isn't in the raid, then who's going to lead it? In all the planning sessions we've had so far the Captain's always been selected as the raid leader."

He unfortunately had a point. Buttercup had always been her first choice for leading the raids, there was no one better in her outfit at close quarter fighting and quick tactical combat but she wasn't about to risk her best asset when she was below one hundred percent.

Buttercup might not have liked it but Blossom didn't like it any better. There was only one replacement she could really trust for this first raid. It was too important to put it in the hands of the inexperienced.

"I will be leading the raid. I'll call for you when I have the mission parameters ready, until then, keep an eye on the situation here." Blossom stated as she turned and left a stunned Mitch staring at her back.

The rest of the room was in much of the same state she noted as she walked out into the hallway. It was a very rare occasion that Blossom herself ever participated in battle. Not that she was bad at it, she was just way better at organizing and commanding her troops from the nerve center, a place where she had access to all the information. In the field, confusion and misinformation ran rampant, it would be a lot harder than what she was used to but it had to be done. She wouldn't let something this important be handled by anyone else.

Hopefully her martial combat skills were up to the test, it had been a long time since she had actively participated in battle. What would come would come, the best she could do was plan for every contingency and hope it would be enough. Steeling her determination, Blossom entered her favorite room and began her preparations.

* * *

It was nearing lunch time before Blossom was disturbed. Dragging her eyes away from the supply list in front of her, she considered her youngest sister as she knocked on the door frame.

"May I come in?" The blonde asked.

"Of course." Blossom pushed the list away and rubbed at her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Around noon I think." Bubbles replied as she came around the table and looked over the redhead's shoulder.

"Noon?" No wonder her eyes were tired, she really needed to take more breaks, otherwise she would be the next one needing reading glasses. Time always seemed to fly when she was in her planning zone. It was then that her stomach demanded her attention and rumbled rather loudly. The Puff Leader felt her face heating up as Bubbles giggled.

"Seems like someone's hungry, good thing I came prepared." Blossom followed her sister's finger as she pointed to the edge of the table, just now noticing the bowl of steaming stew sitting there.

With a grateful sigh, Blossom pushed herself to her feet and grabbed the bowl. "Thanks Bubbles, what kind of soup is this?" She asked and blew on a spoonful.

The blonde shrugged in reply, still looking at all the planning material Blossom had strewn across the large table. "Beats me, it's the stew of the day so who knows what's in it. It's tasty though, like always."

"I don't know how Rosa does it."

"You and me both sister." Bubbles directed a grin at her and giggled. Blossom couldn't stop her eye roll at her sister's silly play on words.

Bubbles let Blossom have a few moments of peace to eat some stew before gesturing to the table. "So, I take it the rumors of the raid are true?"

Blossom nodded around a mouthful of stew.

"I see, who's going?"

"The ATA Squad will be spear heading the operation and I will be leading it. Oh, you're going to, I need someone to do recon and hopefully some gather some intel."

The blonde took the news in stride and simply nodded her head. She absently mindedly played with one of her pigtails as she continued to look at the table in a distracted manner.

Great, Blossom held back a sigh. Playing with her pigtail always meant there was something Bubbles had on her mind. It was not, in and of itself, a bad thing, but Blossom had a distinct idea of what Bubbles wanted to talk to her about and she was not looking forward to it.

"If you want to talk about Buttercup, just say it." She said before grabbing another spoonful of stew.

Bubbles glanced at her out of the corner of her eye with a small smile. "You know me too well."

Blossom just looked at her as she ate.

The blonde let out a weary sigh. "Did you have to be so harsh to her? You know she has been waiting for this for a _really_ long time. Wasn't there another way to break the news to her, a gentler way?"

She knew this was coming. Buttercup had probably ran to Bubbles and complained the first chance she got, and of course, whenever there was argument between her two older sisters Bubbles just had to try and smooth things over.

Blossom set her bowl down a little harder than it needed, spilling some of its contents on a shipment list. Great. With an aggravated huff, the redhead tried to wipe off the stew before it could stain anymore of the paper.

"Listen Bubbles, I tried to be as gentle as possible but you know how Buttercup is. Ugh, she so childish some times. The minute she doesn't get her way, she's complaining and cursing up a storm. Not giving any mind to propriety or decorum, just saying whatever she feels like and damn the consequences. Is that any way for a leader to act? Especially a combat leader?"

Bubbles opened her mouth to reply to the rhetorical question but Blossom continued before she could get a word in.

"No! Grr, you'd think she would have grown up by now. I mean, do you see me stomping around and pouting when something doesn't go my way?"

Again Blossom ranted on and cut Bubbles off before she could answer.

"Of course not, how would the troops react? They already think we're too young to lead; she's only fueling that fire with her tantrums. I am getting sick of it! I don't think my reasoning was off base either. I mean she got a harpoon through her arm for goodness sake! Would you let someone onto the field with that kind of injury? Let them lead a raid?"

Blossom stopped her wild pacing and turned towards her sister. Bubbles had taken her seat sometime during her rant and was staring at her patiently with her head resting on the palm of her hand.

Blossom looked at her for a few seconds more before gesturing impatiently. "Well?"

Bubbles blinked and popped up from her slouch. "Oh! You actually wanted me to answer this one."

Her tone was completely polite but Blossom winced at it as she realized she might have lost control of her emotions during her…outburst. Just a bit. She hated it when she did that, it was a glaring reminder that she wasn't the only one in the family who tended to go overboard when her emotions got the best of her.

Bubbles got to her feet and walked up to Blossom, grabbing her gently by the shoulders. "To answer your question, no I wouldn't let someone go on a dangerous mission with that kind of injury. I can see where you're coming from Blossom, I really do and I agree with you."

The redhead cocked an eyebrow. "You do?"

Bubbles nodded gently. "Mmhmm. Of course I don't want Buttercup out there. She's in no condition to fight; no matter indestructible she still thinks she is. But just because you're right doesn't mean you have to be so…brusque about it. This IS Buttercup after all."

Blossom reluctantly nodded. "Yeah…you push her…"

"And she pushes you right back." Bubbles finished in a matter of fact voice. "You have to be a bit more sensitive sometimes. A bit more…circumspect? Is that the right word?"

Blossom nodded in affirmation.

"Right. All I'm saying is that you know Buttercup has been chewing at the bit to start attacking for real and when you shot her down in such a blunt manner, well…how else did you think she'd react? You got to think about it from Buttercup's shoes Bloss."

The redhead began nibbling at her lip as she thought over her little sister's words. Dammit…she was right. Did she always have to be right when it came to matters like this?

If she really thought about her reaction, from Buttercup's perspective it probably looked like an attack on her abilities. As if she thought her sister was incapable, psh! Buttercup was the most capable soldier she had ever seen; she just didn't want her to get hurt was all. Her sisters and the Professor were the only people she really had…well Ms. Keane counted too.

"I just don't want her to get hurt…" Blossom whispered sullenly.

Bubbles gave her a gentle smile and squeezed her shoulder. "I know you don't and deep down Buttercup knows that's the reason too. She just needs a little time to cool off is all. So maybe after this is all done, you two can have a talk? Hmm?"

Blossom made the mistake of looking into her sisters imploring puppy dog eyes and any small bit of resistance crumpled. Double Dammit. Did she always have to use that? It was seriously impossible to say no to.

"Okayyyyy." Blossom said with a sigh.

A brilliant smile lit up Bubbles face and she pulled her older sister into a hug. "I knew you would!"

"Only because you cheat." Blossom mumbled, to which Bubbles only giggled in agreement.

The blonde pulled back and looked her in the eye. "Use every advantage you got right?"

Blossom smiled ruefully in return. She knew she was going to regret teaching Bubbles the basics of tactics one day. Who knew her angelic sister would use her learning so deviously?

Bubbles turned back towards the table. "So, what's the plan?"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! Stuff's finally about to begin! I know it took a long time but things are really going to start rolling now. How'd I do on Blossom's POV? She's the hardest for me to write as so I'm a bit worried I didn't carry it quite as well as I could have. Buttercup is so much easier to write ;p.**

**Thanks to my lovely reveiwers as always, Lily975 and Scourge From BloodClan. I love your guys' input! It makes writing so much more fun.**

**Lily975: I super glad you appreciate the updates! I know as a reader I always get super disappointed when authors don't update regularly. It kind of drains all the momentum from the story. Don't worry! I shall keep to my Saturday updates for the as long as I can! (Which should be for the entire story)**

**Scourge: Yes, poor delusional Boomer. Sooner or later he'll get it, but when is the question? That's for me to know and you to find out! :D**

**And to you silent reader, if you haven't reviewed why not give it a shot? I'd love to hear from you!**

**Next Chapter: Buttercup's going to need to do a little anger management and the Professor is just the doctor to do it!**

**Oh! And don't worry, next chapter will still follow my Saturday schedule. :D Until gang, have a lovely end of the week!**


	20. Chapter 20 - Just Doing My Part

Chapter 20 – Just Doing My Part

"This is so unfair Professor! She's keeping me back because of a puncture wound in my shoulder? I've fought tons of battles with more injuries than this! Remember that time when Mitch and I stormed that bunker in Nairobi? I did that with a broken arm AND a concussion!"

Professor Utonium let out a long suffering sigh as he retrieved Buttercup's X Rays. "I remember Buttercup, and if I recall correctly, I wasn't too happy about that at the time. I'm still not happy about it now." He gave her a perturbed look as he rolled back to her bedside.

Buttercup merely rolled her eyes in response. "Oh come on, that was four years ago, water under the bridge. The point is, I shouldn't be sitting this one out. This is our FIRST RAID! It'll set the precedence for all the other ones we're going to do. It has to go perfect! What if something goes wrong? How can I fix it if I'm not there?"

"I'm sure your sisters will have it all in hand Buttercup." He replied in a distracted manner as he held the X Rays up to the ceiling lamps, examining them while he rubbed his chin.

It was Buttercup's turn to heave a sigh. He always did this when he was working, half listening and not really paying attention to anything you said. It got really annoying after a while. It was true that she had been ranting for the last couple of hours, but come on! This deserved ranting!

How could Blossom do this to her?! She knew how important this was to not only her, but the entire operation! So your lucky bat has a nick in it, that doesn't mean you shelve it for the big game! It could still perform!

And she was ten times better than some stupid, fucking piece of wood. She was freaking Buttercup Utonium for Christ's sake! A Powerpuff Girl, a proven soldier and veteran of more battles than most generals had fought! How could Blossom throw one of her best assets away?!

"What if they run into a problem and can't fix it Professor?! What if ten Collectors suddenly ambush their position and they have no way out? Then Mojo would have them and we'd be pretty much done for!" She exclaimed while throwing her one good arm up in the air. Her other arm was hanging safely inside a sling close to her side.

The Professor set down the X Rays and fixed his complete and focused attention on his no-quite-so-little-girl, folding his hands in his lap. "Okay Buttercup, I'll humor you. Say they do run into ten Collectors. How would you being there be of any help?"

The Green Puff blinked momentarily and thought about it. "Well, I could…I….it-" She let out a frustrated sigh. "OKAY! So I don't know what I could do, BUT I'd do something!" Folding her arm tight across her chest, Buttercup settled herself into a well-deserved sulk.

It wasn't really a sulk, at least that's what she told herself. But what else was she supposed to do? She was stuck here while others were going off to fight for their lives! Sulking seemed like as good a pass time as anything else at the moment. She huffed irritably.

The Professor, seeing her finally calm down enough to listen to reason, rolled up to her bedside and patted her on the leg. "I know it's hard for you to accept honey, but look on the bright side!"

The look she sent him was anything but bright and cheerful. His encouraging smile faltered just a tiny bit.

"You only have to wait a week and a half before you can go back into the field!"

"UGGHhhh!" Buttercup groaned as she fell back into the bed, letting her legs flop onto the mattress. Did he really think that bit of news would cheer her up? Sometimes her dad was so clueless. "I don't need to be in the field in a week and a half, I need to be there now!"

"I know honey…"

"How could you know? You've never fought in any battles." Buttercup muttered angrily as she glared at the ceiling.

She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Buttercup shoved herself up into a sitting position and looked at her father's stony face. It only took that one look to cut right through her anger and replace it with a bone deep shame.

Maybe she should insult his intelligence too while she was at it? Stupid! Why couldn't she think before she opened her damn mouth?

"Uh, Dad, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to-I, I wasn-"He cut her off with a raised hand and turned away to gather up his supplies.

Buttercup screw shut her eyes as her anger roared back to life, this time at herself instead of her pink eyed sister.

Get kept back from the first raid of the mission? Check? Look like an immature idiot in the process? Check. Piss off and insult the man who created and cared for you since day one? Check. And to top it all off, insult a cripple? Check.

Great, just great. This day was turning out simply wonderful, all they needed now was for Mojo to find the base and nuke 'em all to hell! Actually, that was looking like a mighty fine option at this point. Maybe that would keep her from spouting out any more dumb shit.

The next few minutes passed by in silence as the Professor rolled around the Clinic and deposited the tools of his trade in their rightful places. In between her bouts of self recrimination, Buttercup tried twice more to stammer out pathetic apology attempts but both times she couldn't form the right words. If only she had Bubbles abundant aptitude in that area. She always knew the right words to say in situations like these.

Ugh! After the third failed attempt she decided that it was probably best to just shut her gob while she was behind. So, she sat there, miserably staring at the ground between her dangling feet.

Why did she always do this? Every time she thought she made progress with her keeping her anger under control something always came up and blew everything back to square one. It was true she didn't blow up at every little thing now, there was _some_ maturity at least, but Blossom still had to remind her to keep her temper in check…of course this was all Blossom's fault to begin with!

If she had just let her go on the raid then none of this would be happening and she wouldn't be feeling like the mud crushed underneath someone's boot! I mean, sure she was injured but it wasn't life threatening!

It might make her a little less agile and maybe a bit slower….and mayyyybbeee a bit less skillful during a fight. Not to mention the fact that she would become a prime target for being seen as the weakest in the group, which would mean others would have to come to her aid if she got overwhelmed during a fight, which would take them away from the other areas that would no doubt need their attention during the raid and-_ ah hell!_

Who the fuck was she kidding? Blossom was right. She couldn't even talk herself into believing this self-pity garbage. She would only slow them down if she went along.

Of course, admitting that fact only made her angrier at herself. If only she had dodged that stupid harpoon faster, or paid more attention to the situation.

When it all came down to it, she had to admit, she wasn't pissed off at Blossom or the Professor or the Collector, well actually yeah, she was pissed at the Collector but that wasn't the point! The point was she was really more pissed off at herself deep down.

Buttercup always prided herself on her abilities but the reality of last night showed her that she came up lacking, and THAT was the worst part of this whole blasted debacle.

The Green Puff hung her head lower and let out miserable sigh.

"Buttercup." She cringed at the floor and hesitantly raised her eyes. During her inner debate, the Professor had rolled up to her bed and sat directly in front of her. The disappointed look on his face only deepened her shame and caused her to look at the ground once more.

It took her by surprise when he gently patted her leg. She blinked up at him warily. The disappointed expression was still there but now that she really looked, there was a hint of kind understanding too. The kind of look Bubbles always gave her whenever she blew off steam to her little sister.

"I know you didn't mean what you said dear, I forgive you." And just like that, the disappointment eased back and a small smile broke on his face.

How the hell did he do that? How could he just forgive such a callous remark that was obviously said only to hurt him? It was something she found only he and Bubbles could do, show unconditional kindness and love.

If she really thought about it, the girls each had some trait they shared with the man who created them. Bubbles' kindness, Blossom's intelligence, her zeal. He had all three of those traits in him, it didn't seem possible but he defied the realms of reality before. Hell, making three super powered girls out of sugar, spice and everything nice was proof enough of that. Why couldn't he embody their all their best qualities as well?

"How can you do that?" He raised an eyebrow at her hushed question.

"Well, I suppose it's because I know exactly what it's like to be left behind when the only thing you want to do is join the fight. It's a horrible thing to feel powerless and when we feel those things the worst in us tends to come out. I know that from experience and I can imagine that for someone with your…vivacity, it's even worse."

She cracked a small smirk at his word choice. That was a polite way to put it. Idly kicking her feet, Buttercup's eyes drifted to the wheels of chair.

"Do you regret it?" The question popped out before she could control herself. Ugh, again with the speaking before thinking. She _really_ needed to work on that.

The Professor glanced down at his chair as if truly considering it for the first time. He shrugged lightly. "Do I regret that I'm stuck like this? A little, I suppose I mostly regret all the things I'm not able to do on my own. I regret being a burden on everyone."

"You're not a burden Professor! There's no way we would have gotten this far without you."

He gave her a soft smile and patted her leg once again. "A nice sentiment Buttercup but not entirely true, I'm know you girls could do just fine on your own. Ah-" He raised a hand to forestall her interruption.

"It's true, whether you believe it or not. But back to your question, do I regret it? Being a burden, yes, the act that left me this way, never. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would make the same choice as I did then. Sometimes there are things that are worth sacrificing yourself for and you should never regret the choices you made that led you to that. It is a selfless act to sacrifice yourself for someone's well being, even if that sacrifice is as small as staying behind because you know you would put everyone else in danger."

And there he had done it again, gotten right to the heart of her problem with a few choice words. This man was too brilliant by far. He put a hand under her chin and raised her head to look into her lime green eyes.

"I know you're blaming yourself in some warped, twisted manner for some perceived failure on your part, but it's not your fault honey. You did what you had to do to keep those kids safe and while it may mean that you can't do the same for your sisters now, I think you chose the right party to protect. Your sisters are a lot more capable than that group of six year olds."

Buttercup shrugged weakly. "That's the thing; I didn't even get a choice in the matter. It just happened. I mean, yeah I'd save John again in a heartbeat but I didn't even know about the raid then! No one did. I had no say in the matter." She mumbled out the last part with a pout.

The Professor chuckled softly, causing her to quirk an eyebrow at him. "You and Blossom are exactly the same in that manner. Neither of you can stand being out of control of the situation, even when there's nothing for you to control."

The brunette rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "Well, we are sisters."

"Yes you are. And I love each and every one of you. Never forget that." He pulled her down to his level and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Daaaaaad."

"You're never too old for kisses from your father."

"Doesn't mean it isn't embarrassing." The two's laughter filled the walls of Clinic as the tension of the last few hours finally melted away.

As the laughter died down, the Professor smiled at her. "You know Buttercup, just because we are confined to the back line doesn't mean we can't still do our part."

"Huh? What the hell does that mean? How can I do my part if I can't fight?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. Now, off you go. You're scaring my medical staff and delaying our work." He said with a play shooing motion of his hands.

Buttercup cracked a smile and let out a playful huff as she rose from the bed. "Okay, okay, no need to tell me twice. I know when I'm not wanted anymore." She winked at him and bent down to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Bye dad, and…thanks."

"Anytime honey." With one last look, she turned and left the Med Clinic feeling much better than when she entered.

Dads, how did they do that? Was there seriously like a class or something that taught them how to deal with unruly children? She needed to sign up, might help her handle the bunch of toddlers that called themselves soldiers in her squad. Lord knows they need a firm hand time to time.

The Advanced Tactics and Armament Squad might have been revered as one of the best in the Resistance, but they were also known for being the most insane. That was her doing she guessed, the squad only got that reputation after she joined.

Of course, her idea of base jumping off a bridge to ambush an enemy convoy below was a bit…excessive, but sometimes risks had to be taken! Besides that mission had went off with flying colors and afterwards, whenever there was a hopeless situation that needed an extreme solution who did they call? Her squad.

Buttercup let out a sigh. And now they would be going on a mission without her. Sure it had happened before, but this was poignant, symbolic. This was their FIRST raid. It didn't seem right that the first blow of the offensive should be made without her. At least Mitch would be with them, as rightful second in command of the squad he would take the reins and lead them this mission.

Mitch knew what he was doing and she shouldn't be worrying over them anyway, they were all grown men and women. They could handle themselves. What she really should be focusing on was what the Professor told her before she left him.

"Do our part behind the lines? I still don't know what the hell that means." She grumbled as she kicked a stray stone across the lobby.

There wasn't really a destination in her mind as she walked; it was more of a mindless wandering sort of thing. Soldiers and personnel were moving about the lobby in a mostly relaxed manner, there was a bit of an excited edge to it. News and rumor of the raid spread quickly in such a small base as this.

People shot her anxious looks as she passed by, no doubt believing that she would know all about the raid and tell them something since she was one of the Powerpuff Girls, the leaders of the camp. Well sucks to be them doesn't? Buttercup ignored the looks and kept her gaze on the ground.

'Do my part, do my part. What did the Professor do when he first lost the use of his legs?' Buttercup chewed on the thought.

Before the attack he and Bubbles had been battle medics, that covered everything from running into the field to take care of patients to maintaining the mobile medical area. That's what they had been doing the day of the attack actually.

It had been a pretty intense battle and the field had been too treacherous to send out the field medics, so they were all kept back behind friendly lines in the medical area to await wounded personnel. Heh, and she and Blossom had been relieved to hear that, had actually thought that would be safer for the two of them.

The problem was, it should have been. Seriously, how the hell could the sentries in the area missed the freaking Collector as it just waltzed behind their lines? There should have been no way for it to sneak up on them unaware; the thing was eighteen fucking feet tall!

Buttercup growled quietly to herself. If those dumbass sentries had been doing their jobs that day then her dad would still be able to walk and Bubbles wouldn't suffer from nightmares almost every single night.

Bunch of dicks, it still pissed her off to think about them.

The Green Puff huffed at the ground and then shook her head lightly. She was getting off track, think, what did the Professor do after he lost the use of his legs?

Well, he went from being a field medic to a base doctor. That really wasn't that much of a change if she thought about it. He still saw to patients and still saved lives. She couldn't really correlate that to her job though.

I mean, how could you work as a fighter if there was nothing to fight? What was she going to do? Train troops for the week she was out? Yeah, she already did that on a daily basis so that was no good. And she definitely wasn't the cheerleader type, Ugh.

A shiver ran down her spine just thinking about watching the team leave and throwing encouragements at their backs as they left for a mission that she should have been part of.

No, she had to as far away from them when they left otherwise she might go postal again. That wouldn't be good for anyone. So what the hell could she do?

In the process of her inner thoughts, her feet had somehow taken her straight to the one place she really didn't want to be. Or did that mean that she did want to be there subconsciously? Hmmm.

The Command Center was as busy as ever, with people rushing to and fro. It was probably still a good three hours until the raid team left but there were a lot of preparations to complete before then. Good thing she didn't have that boring job. Ahh, to high ranked, important, and above menial labor.

She climbed the steps and went to the Operations Room. She had nothing better to do, so bugging Mitch seemed as good a thing to do as any.

He was still positioned directly in front of the table, watching the men go about their work. Had he even moved in the, what six hours since she had left? Probably, but it didn't seem like it. She stepped up to the table silently and greeted her companion with a casual hello.

Mitch jumped at her sudden appearance and inhaled a quick breath as she startled him out of his thoughts. The glare he threw at her brought a cocky smirk to her face.

"_Buttercup_, why do you _do_ that?! Uhhh, gets me every time."

"Exactly why I do it Mitchie Boy."

"And I hate it when you call me that."

"See previous statement."

He rolled his eyes and looked at her with a droll stare. "Har har har. Glad to see you're in a good enough mood to poke fun at me. Exam went well then?"

The brunette offered him a shrug. "Eh, I'll have to wait a week and a half before I'm allowed out. Back to involuntary imprisonment, yayyyy."

He winced sympathetically and shook his head. "Man, that sucks."

"Yep. It does." She shoved her hand in her short's pocket and rocked on her heels as she looked at the map on the table.

Mitch did the same, but there was a distinctly uncomfortable air about him as they stared at the map in silence. Slowly a minute dragged by as he darted nervous glances at her from the corner of his eye.

Oh brother, if he had something to say he should just say it already. You'd think he'd know this about her by now.

Men.

The next time he glanced at her, she turned and caught his eyes. "Yes?"

Caught red handed, he turned a bit pink on his cheeks and gave her a small, guilty smile. "Well, it's just that um…I, I wanted to ask you…if you, you know, had any..ah hard feelings about the whole-" He waved his hand idly. "-raid leadership…thing. Yeah." He finished sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck.

Why wasn't this surprising to her? Of all the people she knew, only Mitch went out of his way to make sure he didn't slight her in any possible, perceivable way. He had once taken the last sandwich at dinner just before she could grab it and spent the next three days trying to give her his meals. Not even Bubbles was so concerned with her state of feelings as he was.

Boy needed a hobby.

With a roll of her eyes, she motioned away from the table to the far side of the room where there were fewer ears around. He followed her with trepidation, no doubt expecting to get reamed.

She pinned him with an intense stare as she turned to face him. "I'll let this whole thing go but first…you have to promise me something."

He nodded eagerly. "Yeah, of course. You name it."

"During the raid, would you look out for my sisters…please?" She asked in a quiet voice.

Mitch's shock at her question was apparent by the dropped jaw he sported.

Buttercup hurried to explain herself, she wasn't one to get sentimental and all that jazz. "You know, it's just that I won't be there and this is our first raid and things could go wrong. I guess what I'm trying to say, is if I can't go then the next best person I want watching them is you. They're my sisters you know?"

The young man snapped his mouth closed and looked at her a moment before giving her a smile and nodding resolutely. He threw in a snappy salute too. "Yes ma'am. I got their back."

The Green Puff smiled at him and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "Good, there's no one else I'd want in my place. Keep 'em safe you hear?"

"With my life."

"You better, cause if not, your life is mine…and I won't be gentle."

"Ohh, I can imagine and none of its pleasant." He replied as they walked back to the table.

"Well, multiple that by a factor of eight and you'll have a good idea of what I'll do."

"I'm shivering in my boots." They both chuckled as Buttercup threw another playful punch at him.

The merriment died down somewhat as Buttercup took a look at the room and all the staff at their positions. It was easy to forget about the raid for a second when she was joking with Mitch, but as soon as she saw the room it all came back.

She considered the blank map in front of her. "So, how's preparation going for the raid?"

Mitch shrugged. "Hell if I know. The General has been holed up in the Map Room all morning. I saw Bubbles walk that way about an hour of ago with a tray of food, but I'm not sure if she left. "

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "None of that surprises me in the least. So no definite plans yet?"

"Besides the general locale? Nope."

"And the general location is?"

"Sector 3. I've got half our scouts out there right now covering every outpost and base in the area. We're getting info on all of them and feeding them to the General. Hopefully she'll pick a target soon so I can refocus the scouts to our objective and bring most of them back. I feel exposed with so many of them gone." He replied while pointing out the location in question on the map.

Buttercup quirked an eyebrow at him. "So we're short scouts?"

"Uh huh." Mitch absently replied.

The brunette felt a smirk working its way upon her lips.

And there it was, a chance to do her part. It was funny how when she wasn't looking for it, it showed up out of nowhere. Figures.

"Well then, give me a route."

Mitch blinked up at her. "A route? As in a scouting route? For the base patrols?"

Geez this guy was slow on the uptake, maybe he _had_ been in here for the last six hours. "No, to the nearest convenient store so I can pick up some Twinkies. Yes, a base patrol scouting route! It's what you were just lamenting over. Hello?" She rapped a knuckle on that thick forehead of his.

He batted away her hand with a scowl. "I was just making sure, you hates routine scouting like that. Remember in Santiago where instead of patrolling you took a three hour nap in a beech tree? Yeah, General Martin wasn't too happy about that."

"Oh yeah…" Buttercup recalled the look on her one time superior's face with a grin. That had been a wonderful nap too. Mitch brought her out of her musings by clearing his throat and arching an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, well, that was justified. There were tons of people patrolling anyway; it didn't matter if I slipped away for a quick snooze. This however, is an entirely different situation and I wanna help. Do my part. So quit the nit picking and gimme a route."

Mitch shook his head and chuckled lightly as he turned towards a soldier manning a computer desk nearby. "Orville, what base patrol route do we need more personnel on?"

"Route Ten sir."

"Thank you Private." He turned back to the spunky brunette. "There you go, though I'm still surprised you do something mundane as this."

Buttercup shrugged and made for the door. "What else am I supposed to do? Clean kitchen pots with Ms. Rosa? No thanks, I'd rather get outside even if it is boring old patrol."

Mitch waved to her as she walked out the door. "Okay, be careful!" He called out after her.

Careful? Hah! She was always careful. Well, mostly careful. Besides this was only a standard base patrol, hardly worth the effort but it did get her a couple miles away from camp and in the fresh air. She'd be lucky if she ran across a wild dog let alone a Simian Patrol.

Most likely, she'd run the route, find nothing, and return to base empty handed. Although…there was a possibility of running into a random Mojo spy. The run in last night hadn't been too far from base, only ten miles or so. If they survived the Collector, which was unfortunately likely, then maybe they would try and search out the girls last known location.

Hmmm, maybe Route Ten needed to arch a bit and cross over into Sector 15. It wouldn't do for some spy to get to close now would it? Particularly vulgar cretins who favored the color green. The safety of the base had to be maintained from undesirable elements.

Yes, this was seeming like a pretty good idea in her book and the best part was no one would find out. It wasn't that big of a detour…

Buttercup jogged all the way to the Quartermasters Office for supplies with a grin on her face.

She had to do her part after all.

* * *

"You woke me up to do chores?! Seriously man? That's cold, even for you." Butch complained with a yawn. "And why do me and Boomer have to do them while you get to go out running around? Why can't I come? Boomer can do it all himself, can't you?"

Butch didn't wait for Boomer's reply before continuing on…not the Boomer would have given a response. Brick thought his youngest brother had somehow mastered the art of sleeping while standing up. That's how it looked anyway.

"If you're gonna wake me up at least wake me up for something fun. Ugh! Chores, I hate fucking chores." The Green Ruff grumbled as he dropped down onto the couch while rubbing at his eyes.

Brick rolled his eyes and double checked his equipment as he moved towards the door. "First, it's four in the afternoon; you've had ten hours of sleep. The normal adult can be sustained on only five and we're anything but normal so quit complaining. Second, I'm not running around. I'm looking for clues on the Puffs. They couldn't have run far with that gaggle of children surrounding them, they may have left clues to where they went. And third-"

Brick pointed a finger at Butch, cutting him off before he could interrupt. "-remember the last time you tried to talk to a Puff? It didn't go well…I'm flying solo and you're staying here."

He mentally checked off the last of his equipment and opened the apartment door. "Help Boomer clean up. I expect this place to be spotless when I come back…and don't start pouting." Brick called over his shoulder.

"I don't pout DAMMIT!" He heard Butch's indignant cry even through the closed door. The Ruff leader rolled his eyes with a sigh. When would his brothers ever grow up? Knowing his rotten luck probably never.

Now onto his mission. He had a good feeling about this. After two weeks of no contact, he and his brothers run into _two_ of the Puffs. That had to be a sign. And based on the location they were at, he had a few good ideas of where to scout for those goodie two shoes.

He had no idea if his efforts would bear any fruits but this was the best lead he had come upon in a month and a half, that was enough to spur him on. It might be like looking for a needle in a haystack but if he found them, it would all be worth it.

Dethroning Mojo and crushing his empire was the only thing he cared about and those girls would make that goal a much more achievable prospect. He just had to get in contact with them first.

He was going to find these damn Puffs if it was the last thing he did.

With that, Brick set off down the stair and began his search for the illusive Powerpuffs.

* * *

**A/N: Anddd there we are! Some ****father/daughter bonding time with BC and the Professor! Plus a little bit of the Boys, just for fun.**

**So I want to say a big, BIG thank you to all the reviewers this week! Oh my goodness guys, seriously I was practically dancing in my seat when I got your reviews. You guys freaking rock. And also, thank you for the people who favorited this story! I'm talking about you bitternessbitesback. It's almost like we're picking up steam or something :D**

**REVIEWS:**

**Scourge: Thanks as always, glad you liked the mid week update. I figure you guys deserved a little something extra for your awesomeness. I hoped this chapter lived up to your expectations. Oh, and you'll really like next week's update. Action abound!**

**Lil Bitch ROC95: Thank you for the kind words! I appreciate it!**

**Guest Reviewer Number 1: Thank you! I always glad to hear from my silent readers. You guys keep me motivated every time I see my story view count rise!**

**Guest Reviewer Number 2: Super awesome! It's really great to know that my story is hitting the mark and actually sucking people in, changing their moods...almost like mind control...Nah. As for the Greens and Reds? Uhhhhh, nope not gonna say anything :D You'll just have to wait!**

**Hoozah for all my silent readers stepping up and speaking up! You guys are the cat's pajamas, even you silent readers who haven't reviewed. I still love you all!**

**Next Chapter: Action extravaganza! It's been a long time coming but now the Resistance is finally ready to make their mark in Old Townsville! Their very first raid. Hold onto your seats ladies and gents, the fun is just starting :D**


	21. Chapter 21-Friend or Foe?

Chapter 21 – Friend or Foe? I Just Don't Know

At exactly 1600 hours Blossom Utonium marched out to Training Ground Beta, geared up and ready to go. Bubbles trailed behind her, double checking her equipment and securing the gunny sack of precious cargo to her back.

As she and her sister arrived at the Training Ground, Blossom was pleased to see all twenty members of the ATA Squad were standing at attention and waiting for orders. It was a good omen in her book; a disciplined force was a successful force. She had initially briefed them on the raid less than an hour ago but it made no difference to them. They were ready to be deployed at any moment. They weren't called the best for nothing.

Mitch stood at ease in front of the lined up soldiers, watching her and Bubbles as they approached. She offered Mitch a nod and inspected the troops one last time. None of them seemed nervous; a palpable excitement was there however. Hopefully that wouldn't lead to over zealousness in the field. She knew what Buttercup was like when that happened, had she passed any of that on to her troops?

Oh God, she hoped not.

"Everything prepped and ready Lieutenant?" She asked as she turned back to Mitch.

He offered her a nod. "Yes Ma'am, all armed up and ready to move out on your orders."

"Any last updates from the OR?"

"Operation Room tells me things are still pretty much the same. They'll have four scouts ready and waiting to brief us when we get there."

Blossom nodded lightly while making sure her radio was properly attached to her belt, it was the sixth time she had checked but one could never be too cautious. Which is why she had also triple checked her pistol and ammo clips during the walk over from the Quartermasters Office. Nothing wrong with that either…

Okay, she'd admit it….she was nervous. More than nervous really. This was their first raid. The _first_ raid. One of many she hoped, but it was really all up to this one to kick things off. If it went badly now…oh that didn't bode well to think about.

"I think we're all ready to go Blossom."

The redhead looked at her sister's smiling face and steeled her nerve. The plan was set, the troops knew their parts, and she had five contingency plans in case things went wrong. It was all up to luck now. With a quick, imperceptible breath she turned towards the squad and called out in a clear, strong voice "Move out!"

* * *

Night had fully fallen by the time the raid team exited the tunnels and navigated the darkened streets towards their target. Up ahead stood a small base that functioned as a resupply center for Simian convoys and patrols. One would think it would be heavily guarded since it was a supply base, but if you did, you'd be wrong.

"This is really it? That's the base we're hitting? I could boost Jimmy here over the walls in less than thirty seconds. Man, this is going to be a breeze." Mitch laughed lightly as he stared at their lack luster target. A few of the other men muttered their agreements and scoffed at the puny defenses around the base.

Blossom fought the urge to roll her eyes; cockiness was not something she needed at the moment. Yes, they were a highly skilled commando squad but still. "Just because it doesn't appear dangerous doesn't mean it isn't. A bullet can still kill you, no matter who fires it."

That shut the group up quick. Mitch sent her an apologetic look before ordering his men to form a perimeter and do a weapons check. It was almost like a flip of a coin the way their moods changed. One moment they were mocking their enemy, light hearted as little girls, the next they were hard faced men and women ready to do battle. It was a bit disconcerting to Blossom, but maybe that was because she rarely participated in battles like this first hand.

Whatever the case, she pushed it out of her mind as four shadows detached themselves from the surrounding alley ways and came up to meet her group. Bubbles and Mitch joined her on either side as the scouts offered her their salutes.

Blossom threw a quick salute of her own. "What's the latest news?"

"Almost the same as a few hours ago General." One of them spoke up. "No signs of Collectors or patrols in the area. The only protection this supply base has is its garrison of troops. From our count there are maybe sixty to eighty personnel inside, it's hard to tell in the darkness but we all agree that less than half of those are actual trained Simian troops. The rest are mostly clerks and workers to move the supplies."

The redhead nodded at the brief and bit her lip. "How's their morale?"

Another scout scoffed lightly. "A skittish as a turkey on Thanksgiving day. They're nervous but alert, made sneaking harder than usual. You can be sure they've heard of the attack last night and are wondering if the big bad boogie man is coming for them next. Won't they be in for a surprise?" He finished with a malicious smile.

"Indeed, we wouldn't want to disappoint them after all." Blossom muttered as she considered the base. "How tall are those walls?"

The first scout shrugged. "Barely top eight feet, could probably boost a man over it."

"Perfect. If there's nothing else to report I want you four to run a two mile perimeter check. Notify me if any reinforcements or patrols are headed our way. I don't want to be surprised and flanked during a fire fight."

The group of scouts nodded and gave her a round of salutes before they wandered off conversing amongst themselves, discussing who would cover what area and the like.

Blossom took a deep breath and held back a smile. Things were going exactly how she had wanted so far, that meant the plan her and Bubbles came up with was still on. She turned to the blonde and looked her in the eye.

"This is as good a chance we're going to get; the plan is officially a go. You got the explosives correct?"

Bubbles hummed her affirmation as she wrapped her black bandana around the bright blonde of her hair. To regular eyes that, along with the black smudges covering her face, made it appear as if her eyes were floating on their own. Two pools of sky hovering in the darkness. Blossom hoped that wouldn't cause a problem for her baby sister. She should have realized that would happen back at base. Ugh, too late to change that now.

"Alright, we'll give you five minutes to get into position before we start the assault, remember, when you're done get out of the base and light the signal flare. I'll pull the detonation switch when I see it."

"I got it Bloss, how much time do I have once you start the assault?" Bubbles asked as she finished straightening her belongings.

The Red Puff offered her a one shoulder shrug. "I'm not quite sure. Twenty minutes at the most, we might be able to squeeze out a few more but I wouldn't push it. Any extra minute we delay is another minute for reinforcements to arrive."

The blonde whistled lightly through her teeth. "Not a lot of time is it? Oh well, I'll make it work somehow." She gripped the straps of her gunny sack tightly. "I'd best be off then, see you guys in a half an hour hopefully."

As she turned to go, Blossom reached out and grabbed her arm. Bubbles looked back at her in confusion. "Listen, only go for the most vital areas you can find okay? If you can't get to someplace without being seen then forget about it. I don't want you risking yourself for a better target. We have enough explosives in that pack to damage the base no matter where you place them."

"Okay, I got it General." Bubbles gave her one last smile and a shot off a salute before turning and jogging into the darkness towards the enemy base.

Blossom let loose a shaky breath as she watched her go; a nervous feeling welled up in the pit of her stomach.

Even though the idea of sending the blonde into the base to booby trap it with explosives had been a joint collaboration between the both of them, Blossom didn't like it. If there had been any other way that would offer them as much bang for the buck she would have taken it. Unfortunately, this was the best plan they could come up with in less than ten hours.

They couldn't commit to a full out assault on their own without something else to throw into the mix. Her troops might have been extremely proficient and the Simian troops might be severely incompetent on multiple levels but they were still greatly outnumbered. There were going to be casualties no doubt, but she needed as many of her troops alive at the end of this encounter as she could. This offered the best way to do that.

Still, she would have preferred another plan, maybe with a few more days of scouting…Ugh, thoughts like that would get her nowhere and right now she had to focus. Really focus. This was her moment and she had lives on her hands, it was time to get down to business.

"You think it's still a good idea to be sending her out alone like that?" Mitch asked as he waved in the direction the blonde disappeared in.

"Honestly? No…" Was the only thing Blossom said before she turned and walked towards her squad of waiting soldiers. She heard Mitch let out an apprehensive sigh before he followed after her.

"What's done is done Lieutenant. Now come on, let's get into position. We have a distraction to start."

* * *

Bubbles suppressed a shiver as the cold autumn wind blew around her, leeching away her warmth as it found the small gaps through her clothes. A particularly vicious gust sent a chill straight down her spine.

Brrr, sometimes she hated living on the east coast. Autumn was supposed to be pleasantly temperate not downright chilly!

Pulling the zipper of jacket up to her chin, she spotted a structure looming up ahead. Well, looming wasn't exactly the right word. It should have been looming by all accounts seeing as it was a perimeter wall but unfortunately the best it could manage was maybe kinda tall. At least it'd be easier to climb over.

The blonde slowed down her jog to a measured pace and carefully approached the wall. She stepped as quietly as possible in the darkness, keeping her eyes peeled and her ears primed for any sounds. They could have had a perimeter guard that the scouts missed.

Except they didn't. Bubbles stood close by the wall and waited for thirty seconds but nothing happened. No guards walked by, no sound came from the top of the wall…it was dead silent.

Huh.

Deciding not to question her luck, Bubbles hitched up the gunny sack to make sure it was secure before taking a few steps back and rushing towards the wall. She jumped straight up and pushed up off it towards the ledge, easily managing to grab hold of it with her fingertips.

Again she took a few seconds to wait silently. It was hard to do when you were holding a majority of your body weight by your finger alone but Bubbles managed it admirably. When nothing stood out to her she pulled herself up and over the wall, landing in a deep crouch on the other side.

A huge group of stacked crates hid her as she dropped down and created a nice little area for her to get her bearings. Luck was definitely on her side, she couldn't have picked a better place to drop in if she tried. The blonde smiled lightly to herself as she looked around her surroundings.

A few hundred meters to her left lay the base's entrance gate and to her right were several squat, long buildings. Those had to be the warehouses they stored supplies in between transport.

That was her target.

Bubbles tiptoed along the crates towards the warehouses and kept an eye out for any base personnel along the way. There weren't many that she could see, but those she did were nothing special. Simple workers and clerks were scattered around moving about their work, checking the contents of nearby crates and moving them to and fro. It reminded her of how the Resistance base she lived in looked like.

That thought unsettled her a little…okay more than a little. She obviously knew there would be some similarities, they were both bases after all, but she thought there would only be a few things like that.

She had always thought that going into a Simian base would be a horrible experience, like she expected them to be hanging dead children outside the walls or something. After all she had heard about Mojo Jojo in the past couple of months it wouldn't have surprised her in the least. And everything Buttercup had ever told her about the bases they raided in the Amazon and Congo seemed to support those ideas.

But there were no dead children here, no mutilated bodies or POWs being tortured. It was exceedingly normal actually. That's what disconcerted her the most. It reminded her like home.

And if this wasn't a terrible fortress of sorrow and misery…then did that mean the people here were like the people back at the home base?

The blonde leaned out from around her cover and observed her enemy.

A few of the workers were struggling to lift a crate into a nearby truck, a clerk was checking things off on his clipboard, even the few guards around the area were normal looking; simply standing around looking bored out of their minds. It kinda reminded her of Gil the sentry guard.

These were regular people going about their jobs. They had hopes and dreams, they laughed and cried just like everybody else. Just like her and her sisters…and she was about to plant ten explosive charges that would blow all that into oblivion.

Oh this bad, she should stop this line of thought before…_dang nabit! _

Too late.

Doubts had already begun broiling in the back of her mind as she stole back behind the crates. Ohh, she couldn't do this, not now! Not on this mission. Feeling sorry for the enemy was nearly treason for crying out loud.

'Come on Bubbles! You need to focus on the mission. These are the enemy! Not your friends and family! They may act like them and have loved ones of their own and probably children…whose fathers you are going kill….and-'

Bubbles cut off her line of thought before it could trail on any further. Oh, damn her conscience!

She took a breath and peeked around the area once more. Nothing had changed; the attack on the gates hadn't started yet. Thank the Maker for that. She couldn't be stuck here when it happened; she needed to be doing the task Blossom had given her.

That thought spurred her to her feet and towards the warehouse once more. She may have been battling with her conscience but at least she was moving in the right direction now. She couldn't let Blossom down, not when she was counting on her. Mitch and the others were too, heck the whole base pretty much was.

Those thoughts gave her some ground in her inner battle, a bit of perspective at least. While Buttercup always said, and she knew it was true, that she had a bleeding heart, she still knew where her loyalties laid. With her comrades, her friends, her family.

Even if going through with her mission would make her feel like the slime on someone's boot…she would do it. That's who she was, when she gave her word she saw it through. A Powerpuff never breaks a promise.

The blonde nodded to herself and looked up just in time to catch herself and crouch down behind a stray stack of tires. The Simian worker that she nearly walked right into raised his head and blinked curiously around when he heard the noise she made.

Bubbles held her breath as he peered around the darkness. He stood that way for a few seconds before shrugging softly to himself and continuing on his merry way. The Blue Puff blew out a small relieved sigh.

Whoo, that had been close! Oh man, she couldn't believe she had just made the most rookie mistake in the book. Pay attention to your surroundings! How many times had that been drilled into her head during training? Stupid! She had nearly compromised the entire mission with her silly morale dilemma. Not that moral dilemmas were silly in the slightest, but having one in the middle of a VERY important mission certainly qualified as such.

Almost caught because of her wandering mind. She would never forgive herself if that happened, and it very well could still happen actually. In fact, she was doing it again! Why was she standing around when there was a mission to be done?! She needed to get moving, time was steadily ticking away.

The blonde set off at a quicker pace than she thought was safe but that was the least on her mind at the moment. The attack on the gate could happen at any second and she needed to be at those warehouses when it did.

Even at her less than stealthy pace, she managed to easily avoid any more wandering workers or guards. Thankfully they were really lax in their observation skills, maybe because they felt secure _inside_ their base? Whatever it was, it made sneaking around a cake walk.

Although definitely a plus, Bubbles had been expecting a lot more of a challenge than this. Buttercup had always been telling her of how fierce and deadly these Simian troops were. She could have done without the gory details on most of the accounts but it was Buttercup, that would be like asking a penguin to stop being adorable and fluffy.

Anyway, the point was that these troops here were a lot different than what Buttercup had told her. It was like an entirely different set of people, hard to believe they were a part of the same army. She guessed it just went to show how much location and circumstances changed people.

In no time at all Bubbles emerged from the alley ways and came upon her targets, three huge warehouses stood in front of her. There were a few guards milling around the entrances, talking to each other nonchalantly. The workers on the other hand, were running around like their pants were on fire. They must have had a lot of work to do, poor guys.

NO! None of that, no feeling sorry. Mission, she was here on a mission.

Mission, mission, mission.

Bubbles averted her gaze from the people in the area and instead focused on the warehouses themselves. They weren't much to look at, simple buildings that stretched probably twenty five meters long and ten meters wide.

She had no idea as to what they housed, but if she were to guess mostly food, ammunition, and miscellaneous supplies. Things that the home base could have used…hmmmm.

That idea had some merit actually. Who said she couldn't do a bit of scavenging while she placed the charges? It wasn't like they were going to be missed after the explosives went off.

With that extra goal in her mind, Bubbles moved on to the most prominent of her problems…how to get in?

It didn't look like there were any windows in the buildings and the only entrance points she could see were the ones covered with guards. That was no bueno. How could she sneak by those guys? They might have been half blind but they weren't _that_ blind as to not notice someone walking right by them.

As Bubbles frowned at the buildings, her conveniently forgotten pre-planned miracle arrived right on schedule. The peaceful stillness of the night was abruptly shattered as gunfire ripped through the air. All of the base personnel that she could see froze for the briefest of moments, and then the shouts began.

Her five minutes were up, the assault was on.

Blossom's ambush achieved the desired effects as the guards in the area called out to the workers and then ran towards the gates, leaving warehouses completely undefended.

Well, that solved that problem nicely. Now all she had to do was sneak pass the confused workers and begin planting her charges. Bubbles picked out the closest warehouse to her position and began her mission.

Peeking inside, she noticed that it was empty. Not one worker or clerk was in the space, only crates and a few vehicles. Another unexpected surprise and one she was grateful for. The blonde slipped inside and began scanning for the best place to put her packages.

Hmm, she could always place them evenly along the walls, to make sure they destroyed the entire warehouse. How powerful were they anyway? That probably was something she should have asked Quartermaster Nicholas when he gave them to her. Crubby Muffins.

As it stood now, she had ten charges and three warehouses, soooo three charges for each warehouse and one left over to put where she pleased. Maybe she should put one in the front, one in the back, and one in the middle of each building? Yeah, that could work.

Bubbles slid off her gunny sack and retrieved her first charge. As she got to work setting the charges around the building she made note of the crates and their markings: Food in that one, Ammo in that one, oh! Uniforms in that one over there. All of those things could be very worthwhile. She was definitely going to try and sneak something out with her.

'Only if I have time left of course.' She reminded herself as the sounds of gunfire doubled outside.

The Simian troops must have finally started retaliating. Oh, she hoped Blossom and Mitch were doing alright. Well Mitch, she was sure, was probably fine. He had been doing dangerous stuff like this since he was fifteen but Blossom…she wasn't quite as experience in a firefight as the rest of them were.

Hopefully their surprise attack would keep the enemy troops off balance enough to push the odds in their favor, but there were an awful lot of them…

With a renewed sense of urgency, Bubbles set off to the next warehouse with charges in hand.

* * *

Blossom popped up from behind her cover, a blown out window of some convenient store, and fired off a few well-placed shots with her pistol. She saw the Simian the troop crumple to the ground before she ducked back down.

Now normally Blossom wasn't one to curse and she berated Buttercup every times she did, but she was starting to see where her sister had developed the filthy habit.

"Dammit." The redhead muttered as return fire rained dust and debris over her, a deadly stream of heated lead passing just inches above her head.

A crackle passed through her radio before Mitch's familiar voice garbled through. "General? Do you copy?"

Blossom ducked down some more and pulled the radio from her belt. "I hear you Lieutenant. Sit Rep."

The whine of gunfire caused another burst of crackling from the radios speakers, cutting off the first half of Mitch's reply. "-pinned. We've got another two men down. Looks like more of the Monkeys are gathering at the gate."

Blossom peeked up over her cover and immediately pulled back to avoid being pumped full of lead.

"Astute observation Lieutenant. I can't get a good look at the gate, how many Monkeys?"

It was amazing how the minutes seemed to drag on for hours when you were in the middle of a death or life situation. It was agonizing waiting the long moments for Mitch's reply, especially when the reminder of death was zooming barely inches above her.

"By my count, I'd say thirty five or so."

"And our forces so far?"

"Four men down, that leaves you, me, and sixteen men in fighting condition. "

Blossom chewed on her lip as the gunfire above her finally died down.

Only four men down so far, that was a lot better than she had thought she'd have at this point. The opening attack had been devastating for the Simian troops, which had been expected. Her men had taken out the entire guard contingent at the gates in a matter of seconds.

It was as more of the base's troops began to respond to the attack that the situation devolved. She and her troops had been able to pick off the first few one by one but as the amount of men continued to grow it soon overwhelmed them. They simply didn't have the man power.

Their easy slaughter turned into a gritty gunfight with both sides bunkering down into whatever cover they could find and firing uselessly at each other until one of them gave up…or was decimated.

She really wished Bubbles would hurry up.

"Alright Mitch, keep the pressure up." She checked her watch. "Bubs should be done within the next twelve minutes or so."

"Roger that."

Blossom reclipped the radio back onto her belt and rose to fire off a few shots as she moved to different cover. Another enemy troop collapsed under her iron sights and attracted the attention of a few more. She slid behind a counter as the return fire came at her.

Ugh, this was taking forever. How could her force effectively fight when they could barely get a shot out? It was like some messed up waiting game, one side waiting for the other side to reload and shooting at them when they did, and then a repeat for the opposite side. Over and over and over again.

How could Buttercup stand this?

She hated monotony, but she loved battle. Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline and the fact that at any moment you could die? Blossom herself wasn't enjoying it one bit but her sister…well she was always the weirder one out of the three. She wouldn't put it past her to have some crazy fetish as an adrenaline junky.

Oh if only Buttercup was here right now. She probably would have an idea to counter the enemy troop's offensive, something to help push them back. Unfortunately, Buttercup wasn't here and couldn't help. That had been her decision and now she was facing the consequences.

The redhead shook the thought from her mind, she was the in the middle of a fire fight for goodness sake. She popped up again and fired a few shots off before ducking down.

At this rate it was only a matter of minutes before Blossom and her troops would have to retreat, enemy reinforcements could have been on their way right now.

She checked her watch once more, nine minutes…that was it. Nine minutes, not long at all. She had spent more time writing mission reports than that. Of course minutes seemed to fly when writing mission reports, not so with battles.

'Oh this is going to be a long wait.' Blossom thought to herself as she fired blindly over the counter.

Bubbles needed to hurry up, plant the charges, and light the signal flare. Then they could gather up their injured, fire the charges, and sneak the hell out of here.

Her musings were broken as another series of bullets started whipping above her head.

If they survived that long of course.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 21! The raid begins! So yeah, this was a fun chapter to write, I've done a few small battles so far but nothing big like a raid so tell me what you think of it so far. The battles are only going to get bigger from here on out. As for Blossom's and Bubbles' attitude, I wanted to give them a humanized view of battle. Both of them are pretty green when it comes to actual combat and I thought that would give them some doubts and such. What do you guys think?**

**Now for my favorite part! Review Recognition!**

**Scourge: Thanks mate! You're always so supportive :D I appreciate it greatly! We'll be finishing off the raid in the next chapter and depending how well I do with writing this week, I might just post another mid week update... :D We'll see!**

**bitternessbitesback: Thank you for the kind words! I'm super happy that you like the character development. That was my main goal in writing this story. There is a lot of good material on this site but I always felt that people rush their characters when it comes to writing PPG fics. I wanted to present an alternative that did the opposite. It might drag a little, but I think it sets up nicely for when we get into the meatier parts of the story. Anyways, thanks for the review!**

**Lily975: Thank you so much for the two reviews! You didn't have to do it but I'm glad you did :D To answer your question, we'll see a Rowdyruff pop in the chapter after next. It'll be a good one, I promise! Hope your end of the year tests went well!**

**The Cynic: Thanks! I'm glad it sucked you in! I tend to like a lot of in depth story telling but I do go over board sometimes, its good to know that I'm keeping a good balance between the two. I appreciate all the kind words and I hope you enjoy the next few chapters! We are getting close to some major developments! Hehehe, and yes, Boomer will need to sort his feelings out. He might need a little help though...**

**Next Chapter: It's up to Bubbles to knuckle down and get those charges set...or Blossom and her troops will be sitting ducks. Can the blonde fight past her hesitancy to finish in time? You know what they say...finish with a BANG!**


	22. Chapter 22 – Finish with a Bang!

Chapter 22 – Finish with a Bang!

"And that's the last one." Bubbles muttered as she dusted off her pants. Giving her work a once over, she nodded to herself and checked her watch in the dim light.

The Blue Puff let loose a sigh of relief as she saw her twenty allotted minutes were still ticking away. It was a miracle that she hadn't gone over; in fact she still had more than enough time to sneak out and light the signal flare.

Hopping lightly down from the stack of crates she was on top of, the blonde picked up her empty gunny sack and started off at a quick pace towards the warehouse door.

A small smile was growing on her face as she thought about the end of the mission. It was almost over. She didn't think her nerves could handle any more of this sneaking around in enemy territory stuff. She had nearly been found out at least twice.

Both times she was fairly certain that, from a medical perspective, her heart had actually stopped beating.

How did other people do this? Special Ops Squads were crazy, that was the only reason she could think of. Maybe she was a bit crazed herself? After all, she had been the one to suggest sneaking inside the base to plant the charges, if she had known how hair raising it was she might have rethought that decision more closely.

Yes, thinking back on it, she'd rather keep her job as a medical personnel thank you very much. Although…that was looking like an increasingly distant hope now that the raids were starting up.

She just had to be the quietest and the fastest out of her sisters didn't she? Bubbles sighed at the thought; such was life and she was just going to have to deal with it, as Buttercup would say.

As Bubbles quietly approached the warehouse entrance, her eyes fell upon the stacks of crates lining the walls.

Oh crab apples! How did she forget about the supplies?

The blonde nervously checked her watch again and winced. Five minutes, that was all she had left. Was that enough time to rifle through the crates and scavenge a few things? Helpful things?

Another few seconds ticked by while she dithered between her options.

On one hand she could find something really good in those crates, maybe something that could help them out back at the home base. On the other hand, people could be dying while she took time to sort through the contents, her people…

Ugh! Why did decisions have to be so hard?! Why couldn't things ever be simple, like choosing between a vanilla ice cream swirl and going to the dentist? _That_ answer was obvious! Arrrr.

She checked her watch again and sucked in a breath. Four and a half minutes.

Important scavenge or mission deadline, important scavenge or mission deadline…

Bubbles gave her jacket one quick tug as she made up her mind and scrambled to pick up a discard crow bar lying nearby. Oh these crates better have something good in them; people could be dying for their contents. She really, _really_ hoped she wasn't making the wrong choice.

Blossom was just going to have to hold on for a few more minutes.

Working as fast as she could, Bubbles pried open three of the crates and dug through their contents, throwing things of interest into her bag and chucking all the others to the side. What did it matter? This place was going to be a fireball within minutes anyway.

There were actually quite a few good finds inside those boxes, food and ammunition being the best items. She also stumbled across two more bags and filled those too, figured she might as well take as much as she could and make it worth the effort.

Of course one of her best finds was the stack of uniforms stuffed at the bottom of the last crate. She had no idea as to what type of uniforms they were but she didn't take the time to study them as she shoved them into the last bag and tied it shut.

While the burden on her back had now tripled in size, Bubbles didn't feel the extra weight. Actually, the worst part about the bags were how big they had gotten, it was going to make scaling the walls pretty awkward.

She'd just have to climb that hill when she got to it…heh climb.

'Focus!' Bubbles gritted her teeth and checked her watch. Her eyes widened as she saw that she had gone over her allotted time by seven minutes. Seven minutes! Cheese and Crackers! She had to get out of here pronto!

Bubbles decided that the time for stealth was pretty much over at this point. Hitching up her bags, the blonde ran straight through the door…right into a group of four Simian workers.

Both parties stopped in amazement and stared at each other. The blonde however, had been prepared for something like this and snapped out of her trance before the enemy could react.

The first worker fell with a muffled cry as Bubbles whipped one of her bags off her shoulder and swung it right into his face. The other three stupidly watched as their buddy fell to the pavement and Bubbles seized her advantage.

Dropping her bag turned weapon, the Blue Puff freed her knife from her leg sheathe and charged at the group. The fight was over so quickly they didn't even have time to call out for help…or in terror.

'Finish the mission, finish the mission, finish the mission.' Bubbles mentally chanted to herself as she gathered up her fallen bag and tried not to look at the blood coating her clothes. It was even harder trying to avoid the sight of the dead bodies lying less than three feet away from her.

That was so wrong!

Tears began welling up in her eyes as she dashed away from the scene. She was a medic, not a fighter…a killer. She was supposed to keep people from dying, not be the cause of it.

'Finish the mission, finish the mission.'

Her mental chant pushed her onwards as the tears trailed down her cheeks. The small bursts of gunfire ringing out around her also helped to spur her on. She could recriminate herself all she wanted later, she needed to leave now.

The Blue Puff dodged around a jeep and ignored the ringing steel as bullets pelted it from the other side. Knuckling roughly at her eyes, she looked around and tried to locate her exit. It probably didn't matter that much in the scheme of things, especially considering how late she was, but she didn't want to be on the opposite end of the base from Blossom and the others when she pulled the signal flare. They still needed to meet up at the rendezvous.

The blonde picked out a section of the wall hidden behind a stack of supplies, she wasn't sure if it was the same one she had hopped over when she first began her mission but it was close enough.

She waited for the gunfire to die down before bolting from her cover to the wall, tossing her bags over as she neared. By the time the gunfire resumed chasing her; she was already pulling herself up and hopping over it to safety.

Bubbles landed lightly in a crouch, using her hands to stabilize herself. Standing up, she quickly fished out the flare that had been hanging safely in the inner pocket of her leather jacket and checked it over.

Oh good, it was still alright. Time to fire this puppy off and get the heck out of there.

The blonde held the flare as far away from her as possible and tugged on the string. A fizzle pierced the sounds of the nearby fire fight as the red star shot up into the sky. Bubbles shielded her eyes from it and hurried to pick up her fallen bags.

She barely took the time to secure them to her back before she booked it into the darkness. Who knew how long Blossom would wait before setting off those charges? She wanted to be as far away as possible when that happened, or she would get to see how powerful those explosives really were.

As Bubbles ran into the night, she couldn't help but think to herself. 'At least now those four workers won't have to burn to death.' It was morbidly comforting…in a terrible, terrible way.

* * *

**Bang!**

The building heaved as a grenade detonated right outside the door. Blossom gritted her teeth and clung to the counter as best she could. They were getting hammered now, it seemed the garrison was pulling out all the stops and actually retaliating… finally. There might have only been maybe twenty five trained Simian troops, but they still had the advantage of numbers and arms on her and her soldiers.

An ATA squad member nearby her let out a small cry as he fell backwards onto the ground. Blossom motioned his buddy to pull him back and check him out. He hurried to follow the command and struggled to get the fallen soldier out of the danger zone.

Great, that was eight out of twenty now down for the count. Things were getting more dangerous by the minute and still no signal flare.

The redhead glared at her watch and fought back a curse. Where in the world was Bubbles?! Things were not looking good for them and she was way over the time limit. Okay, so technically five minutes wasn't way over but considering the circumstances she was going to take it.

Blossom could admit it to herself, she was feeling the pressure. Thirty minutes, that's how long they had been engaging the enemy. Thirty long and terrible minutes. It felt more like thirty hours to her, and she thought waiting at the base while others did the raids took forever.

Thirty minutes…that was more than enough time for the base they were assaulting to radio for help. There could be reinforcements arriving within the next few minutes for all she knew. If they were flanked, they would be toast.

Bubbles really needed to hurry her ass up.

The now familiar rattling of gunfire rang above her head as a figure dove through the broken side wall and scurried up next to her. Mitch pushed himself to his knees and regarded her for a second. He looked worse for wear with several cuts marring his face, mixing blood with the dirt smeared all over it. She probably looked the same.

"Time limits way past General! What do we do?! We can't take this much longer!"

The Puff Leader bit down on her lip as she considered the unthinkable. Mitch was right, they were now taking a pounding and their line could break any minute. Now was the time to sound the retreat.

But she couldn't! Not yet, not until Bubbles lit off that signal flare. They had to wait for her baby sister to finish planting the charges and get out. If they retreated now she'd be stuck in there with no backup.

The analytical side of her piped up and debated that there was a chance that the blonde still could get out of the base on her own should Blossom's force retreat. The garrison would probably chase after them and leave the base unguarded for the most part. Bubbles was resourceful, she could probably manage to sneak out some way. She _had_ escaped from four Collectors in the past two months…

While the General inside her made sense, it still felt like a betrayal to the sister side of her. Was she really going to abandon her baby sister? Leave her on her own in enemy territory?

"General?! Your orders?!"

She could hardly hear Mitch's shouts over the gunfire raining down on them. Screams echoed across the killing field. It was all too much at once.

"General?!"

A metallic taste spread through her mouth as Blossom bit hard into her lip and nodded at the young man. She pulled out her radio and raised it to her lips to call the retreat, trying not to let the sick feeling in her stomach take over.

Just as she pressed down onto the button, a bright red star shot up in to the sky over the base and glared down on the battle. Blossom blinked against the brightness a few times and sat dumbly until her brain processed its meaning.

The signal flare! Bubbles signal flare! She was _alright_! She was out!

Blossom sighed in relief and threw a smile at Mitch, which he gleefully returned. "What are you waiting for Lieutenant?! Initiate Phase Three! "

"Yes Ma'am!" He snapped off a salute before freeing his radio and passing on the command

One by one the remaining members of the ATA Squad halted their return fire and pulled out a grenade from their ammo pouches. Those grenades were incredibly valuable to her ammo strapped base, the Resistance hadn't had many to spare when they sent her here, but she thought this was important enough to justify their use.

Blossom raised her arm and quickly dropped it. Seeing the signal, as one, the members of the raid team pulled their pins and hurled the explosives at the enemy base and the troops garrisoned inside.

It was like watching foot soldiers break before a cavalry charge, the enemy troops scattered like leaves in the wind as they saw the deadly grenades fly towards them.

"Fall back!" Mitch yelled out as the explosions rang out.

It took barely a minute for the trained men and women of the Advanced Tactics and Armament Squad to gather up their injured and retreat towards the rendezvous point. Blossom had to admit, Buttercup had trained her squad well. The redhead picked up her small supply bag and followed the troops as they exited through the back.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw the Simian supply base had descended into madness. The troop lines had scattered and workers were everywhere trying to contain the fires before they could spread. The perimeter wall looked like someone had taken a hammer to it, large sections had broken off and now littered the ground.

Maybe she should have used the grenades in the first volley?

Blossom shook her head with a frustrated sign and pulled out a small metal box from one of her belt pouches. Analysis could come afterwards; right now there was still one thing left to do.

She flipped up the red safety plate and looked at the base one last time before pressing down firmly on the detonation switch. If the grenades had caused such chaos among the Simian troops then this was sure to cause downright pandemonium.

The entire area shook with the force of the explosions and fires rocketed thirty feet into the sky. Even from here she could see the twisted chunks of metal and mortar flying through the air before they came crashing back down on the base.

Where ever Bubbles had planted those charges, she picked a good spot.

With one last sigh of relief, Blossom turned back around and ran to catch up with Mitch. That blast should thoroughly dissuade anyone from chasing after them. Now all that was left to do was meet back up with Bubbles and get back to base.

Whoo, Blossom was glad her ordeal was almost over. It had been years since she had been involved in a fire fight like that and frankly, it was one of the most terrifying experiences she had had in a loooong time. How the hell did Buttercup enjoy that kind of thing? Live for it even?

There was something mentally wrong her sister, she was finally sure of that.

Well, from now on, she would leave the front line charges to the Green Puff. Her place was the planning room, where she had all the access to the information.

That was one thing she hadn't been expecting, the sheer chaos and hectic confusion of the battle. It was like nothing she could recall, hell it was amazing she had gotten as much information as she had and most of that had come from Mitch. He deserved a reward, maybe a promotion as soon as they got more troops.

'Hmmm, note to self, think about that.'

Blossom was brought out of her thoughts as said young man let out a small jubilant cry. Looking up from the ground, the redhead caught sight of her baby sister leaning against a brick wall in the shadows with three large packs sitting next to her on the ground.

Before she even realized she had moved, Blossom was throwing her arms around Bubbles and pulling her into tight hug. To her surprise, she even felt the sting of tears forming in the back of her eyes. Now that was a new experience, it must have been years since she last teared up. Who knew one life or death situation could make you so emotional.

Blossom blinked back the tears before they could form and pulled back from Bubbles, holding her at arms-length. She gave the blonde a critical once over but found no signs of injury or damage. Seeing as there was no apparent problems with the Blue Puff, Blossom finally let her General side take over.

"Are you hurt? Did you run into any trouble?" She asked.

Bubbles gave her a bright smile that looked only a _little_ bit forced. There was something going on there.

"Nope, didn't run in to any trouble. I almost got found out once or twice but those guys were blind as bats."

"Okay good. Now, if there was no trouble why did you take so long." Blossom let go of her shoulders and looked at her watch briefly. "You were ten minutes late on the signal flare."

The blonde winced. "Yeah, I know. It took a bit longer to place the charges than I thought…but the truth is, I kinda detoured before I left the supply warehouses."

"Detoured?" Blossom arched an eyebrow at her and looked at the bags she had been standing next to. Realization dawned on her as Bubbles guilty face became even more apparent. "…You didn't…"

Bubbles tugged at one of her gloves absentmindedly as she gave Blossom a sheepish half grin. "Yeah…I did, but! I found some really great stuff!" She added quickly seeing Blossom's eyes narrow into a glare. "Really, it was too good an opportunity to let it go to waste."

Blossom had to restrain herself from giving her a dressing down right then and there...or a throttling. Either one was appealing right now.

Scavenging.

That was the reason she had been late? She had let good men and women get hurt in order to pick up a few extra supplies?! Oh the urge to give her a piece of her mind was nearly overwhelming. Disobeying mission guidelines, extending past the time deadline, endangering her fellow comrades…acting like Buttercup!

The Puff Leader took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

'Calm, calm, a leader has to be calm and objective Blossom.' The thought helped center her and she opened her eyes to regard her cringing baby sister.

The guilt was plain on Bubble's face as well as her sorrow as she watched the injured hobble pass the two of them. Already a few were seated on the ground being attended to by their fellow squad mates.

Blossom knew her sister well enough to know that she was probably berating herself more than Blossom ever could. She always hated it when the things she did caused people to come to harm. In reality, that was probably a bigger punishment than anything else Blossom could dole out.

Extra dish duty ended quickly, guilt never did.

And really if she looked at it from an objective stand point, Bubbles had done the Resistance base a favor. They needed all the supplies they could get their hands on right now and by the looks of the bags, Bubbles had managed to get quite a lot.

"Alright." Bubbles glanced up at her in surprise as she finally responded. "You were right, it was too good an opportunity to let it go to waste, especially since they were going to be caught in the blast anyway. What did you manage to find?"

The blonde looked back at the bags with her brow scrunched up. "Umm, lots of food stuffs, some ammunition and oh! I actually found a few Simian uniforms, don't know what they're for but I figured they might be handy in the future."

Uniforms? Hmmmm…yes, those could be useful. Already Blossom's mind was coming up with different scenarios where she could put those to good use. Before she could zone out fully, Mitch walked up to the two of them and gave Bubbles a quick hug.

"Oh boy, you really had us worried back there Blue. I thought you got captured." He said with a relieved smile.

Once again, Bubbles winced. "Yeah, sorry about that. Found something that needed to be done before I could leave." She gestured to the bags and Mitch nodded with an ahhh.

"What's our status Lieutenant?"

Mitch sobered as he turned towards Blossom. "We lost Richie and Thomas in the attack Ma'am. Two more of my squad are seriously injured, they'll need to be carried back to base. The rest can make it on foot but will need medical attention as soon as we get back."

Blossom felt a pang as he told her about the two men who wouldn't be making the return trip home. They all knew the risks but that didn't dull the sense of loss. At least they died fighting for their beliefs, for their cause. That was all a man or woman could ask for in this day and age.

"Do you still have my first aid kit Bloss?" Blossom nodded and handed the item to her baby sister.

Bubbles took the kit and looked at Mitch with a determined look on her face. A stubborn determined look. "Take me to the seriously injured ones. We can't move them until we're sure they're stable otherwise they could die on the way back."

"Uhhh." Mitch looked uncertainly towards Blossom. Time was still of the essences and reinforcements could still be on their way, but this was Bubbles and Bubbles didn't care about that when there were injured people to attend to.

Knowing that arguing with the blonde would be useless and simply waste more time, Blossom nodded at Mitch.

He nodded back before motioning Bubbles to follow him. "This way, Rubio's got a wound to the side, not sure if it's a bullet or a…." Mitch's voice faded into the night as he led Bubbles towards his injured men.

Hopefully her sister would remember they were still technically in a war zone and do a quick patch job on the two.

Blossom rubbed tiredly at her eyes before moving over to the bags her sister had left on the ground. It was with a mixture of emotions that Blossom waited for her force to move out. There really wasn't anything to do at the moment besides sit and wait for Bubbles to finish up and of course, when there was free time to be had what did Blossom do? Why, over think and review the mission of course.

Yes, that was sarcasm on her part.

Honestly, losing only two members of the ATA Squad was a better outcome than she had hoped for. She thought there were going to be a lot more casualties, but her fighting force was left surprising intact. That was a very good thing seeing as they couldn't get replacement soldiers quickly or efficiently. Maybe when the Outskirts project began to develop more, that was still months away from any benefit but a girl could dream.

The raid, their first raid…had been a complete and total success. Well, it would be when they got back to base safely but she was going to count that as done. With all the havoc they raised tonight, the Simian army would have more than enough stuff on their plate to keep them from searching for a small group of insurgents.

But they had done it! They had finally struck back at the evil monkey. Sure, it might not have gone exactly as planned and it might not have been the biggest or most important of targets but it was a start. And that was what mattered.

Blossom took a deep breath as the reality of the situation hit her.

This was the first shot in their counter strike. The Resistance had been laying low since their defeat in South America, but now it was ready to start fighting again. Really fighting…and she and her people were on the front line.

A thrill ran through her mind as she thought about it. They were finally doing something after all those years of struggling to gain a foothold, of trying to push back against the inevitable. Now they were on the offensive and boy did it feel good.

A smile spread across her face, something that wasn't as common as it used to be. It felt good. She felt accomplished. They had done it.

And then, the realist in her had to rain on her brief parade.

Yes, they had done it. They had made the first blow, but now Mojo was going to be aware of them if he wasn't already. Things were going to get a lot harder now that they had revealed themselves. Blossom couldn't even imagine how much of a struggle it was going to be to get supplies and troops from the Resistance now. They would probably get cut off within the next two months. Totally on their own…

A small sigh hovered on her lips. They could handle it, they were practically on their own since they left Chile. Besides, she was a Powerpuff Girl, together with her sisters there was nothing they couldn't do, even without their powers.

There was only one small, teeny, tiny hiccup in her battle plan, one rouge element that she needed to deal with soon.

The Rowdyruff Boys…

They could be the tipping scale for the war, especially if they still had their power. It was a slim chance based on what she had heard so far from her sister's encounters but it was still a possibility. Yes, they were definitely something that she needed to deal with before she could focus her complete attention on Mojo Jojo.

How was she going to do that? She had absolutely no clue…but she did know she wasn't going to let those boys stand in her way.

Somehow, someway, they were going to win this war. Mojo was going down; that was her vow, her only goal. And by golly she was going to see it through until the end.

Whether she lived through it or not…well _that_ remained to be seen.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, almost a mid week update! That's because I won't be updating this Saturday, I'm gonna be in LA! So you guys get this early ^.^ Anyway, the raid was successful! (Was there any doubt though?) And Bubbles and Blossom both managed to get through their mental blocks. Hopefully this chapter was lived up to expectations, I know for a fact that the next chapter is something that everyone will be excited to see! Hehehe, seriously, next Saturday's update will be way cool! We are getting very close to big things!**

**And now, Reviewer Recognition!**

**Scourge From the BloodClan: Thanks for the review mate! (And yes, you totally are rubbing off on me!) This raid will probably be one of the smallest that I write so don't worry, I have a lot more firefights and stuffed planned along the way! Stay tuned! **

**Lily975: Thank you for the review! I always enjoy reading it. I hope this lived up to your expectations and was a fitting finish!**

**My Silent Reader: Thanks so much for the review! I'm glad my update brightened up your day! That's my goal. Regarding your question about the story title, it took me a while to think up a proper name. I didn't want to go for something cheesy or over done like 'Fighting For FREEDOM' or anything like that. I actually came up with the title because as I was thinking on the story and how the characters would grow, I realized that there were a lot of misconceptions that each of them were going to have to deal with and work through. It just kinda embodied the story I wanted to portray, thus it became the title of my story! You'll find out more as the story progress, promise!**

**The Cynic: Thanks, glad you liked the uneasiness from Blossom and Bubbles. I'm really trying to convey a realism into this story and keep it kinda grounded. I like the fantasy aspect of most PPG stories but I wanted to write something that could be (hopefully) a bit more relatable and realistic. Anyways, hope you liked the resolution!**

**Big thanks to you four and ALL my silent readers out there! You guys are making this experience totally amazing and super fun! **

**Until next Saturday dear readers! Have a good Friday and Weekend!**


	23. Chapter 23 – Green and Red

Chapter 23 – Green and Red. Complementary Colors, Contradictory Personalities

"Alouette, gentile Alouette, Alouette je te plumerai." Buttercup sang softly to herself as she strode down the abandoned avenue. Dusk had set and the shadows along the street were growing with each step. It had been several hours since she left on her scouting excursion but unfortunately it had turned out to be a rather mundane experience.

She knew that patrol would be boring but not _this_ boring. Seriously, it was mind numbing. Maybe she should have stayed back at base? In any case, she had been forced to fall back to Bubbles failsafe boredom cure…singing to herself.

...This was just sad.

"Do my part ha! Yeah right, do my parting in getting out of the way is more like it." Buttercup muttered before sighing heavily. She kicked a stray rock and watched it skid across the street as she began humming again. She had no clue where she learned the song but it did have a jaunty little tune, it kinda helped relieve the boredom.

But you know what would have really cured her boredom? Actually finding something of interest! She had been up and down her route three times but still there was no action, no Mojo spies, and no Rowdyruffs.

Not that she should have been looking for them, after all, Blossom had given her rather strict orders to avoid any and all contact with the cretins, but she couldn't help but be curious about them. What were the chances that they just so happened to show up right as the Girls were getting ready to start an offensive that could change the fate of the entire world?

Apparently pretty high.

Well, that was all a moot point anyway. She had found zilch during her patrol and she was ready to call it a night. Let some other poor soul get the joy of running around in the dark with nothing but the wind for company.

It was probably better this way; she couldn't really fight off any one with her arm in a sling. Well, she could but it'd be a handicap. Although…she'd still bet she could take out a couple of Simian troops, they weren't all that hard to fight, they might have even presented a challenge.

"Alouette, gentile Alouette, Alouette je te plum-" Buttercup paused mid song and came to a halt.

Was there a sound just now? She perked up and strained to hear. Another few seconds passed by and then she heard it again, a distant clacking sort of sound. It came from…there!

Buttercup turned and looked down the side street to her right. The failing sunlight had left the small road engulfed in darkness and the narrow lanes seemed to stretch on for a good long while.

Hmm, action at last?

Shrugging lightly to herself, she figured what the hell. The Green Puff pulled her radio from her belt and signaled to the OR. A crackling voice responded a few moments later.

"OR, what's your report Spice?"

Spice, it felt good to hear that again. That had been her call sign ever since she had joined the Resistance at the age of thirteen.

Her old squad leader had given her the name during her first mission, after she had blatantly challenged his orders to his face. Heh, she remembered he had called her a feisty little female but everyone else in the squad had heard spicy instead. After that, well it just kinda stuck. At first she thought it was demeaning, a way for the guys to put her down but as she grew older, she had come to appreciate it.

After all, sugar and everything nice didn't really apply all that well to her now did it?

"Heard a sound down Rawlings Street, gonna check it out." She replied and started down the street.

"Affirmative Spice, notify us if it turns ugly."

"Roger that." Buttercup said before clipping the radio back onto her belt.

The road did seem to stretch on forever; she passed multiple branching avenues and boulevards but followed the sound as it continued to lead her down Rawlings Street. As she drew closer to it, it became clearer…more familiar. In fact, it sounded a whole lot like rocks skidding across the street. That was definitely out of the ordinary for a ruined city with supposedly no one in it.

She cautiously approached the upcoming intersection and poked her head around the corner. The sight that greeted her eyes almost made Buttercup scoff in disbelief…or choke. Either one would have worked equally well.

There, in the middle of the road, kicking a stray rock was none other than Brick Jojo, leader of the Rowdyruff Boys.

..._Seriously_? Now she finds one of them? After hours of mind numbing boredom?

Fate really did have a sick sense of humor sometimes.

Buttercup leaned out a bit farther, careful to keep herself hidden from his line of sight. Last night, it had been hard to get a good look at him in the darkness; the Collector about to kill them also complicated matters so she didn't really get the chance to observe the Ruff leader much.

In today's fading light though, his changes were much easier to see and it wasn't just the increase in height or the semi-formal clothes.

'Where the hell did he get such a nice pressed shirt and leather jacket in god forsaken ruins anyway?' She thought with a soft frown.

It was his entire demeanor that was different. In their youth, Brick had always been a loud mouthed cocky little brat, almost as much as his younger brother. But unlike Butch, he also had a smidgens worth of brains to go along with that over inflated ego.

That was what used to make their fight so fun- ah challenging…yeah challenging. Definitely not fun… Tsch, more like annoying.

The point was, whenever they had the Boys backed into a corner, it was Brick who always did something that threw the Puffs off. It usually was enough to get the Boys out of danger and able to slip through the Girls hands. It had irritated Blossom to no end when he did that.

Buttercup couldn't help the smirk as she thought about her elder sister's violent reactions to her redheaded counterpart back in the day.

Looking at him again, she couldn't help but wonder where that little boy had gone. He didn't look cocky or egotistical as he stood there; instead he simply looked…dangerous. That was the only word that fit the eerie vibe she was getting from him. Even walking leisurely down the street he looked tense, like a snake all coiled up and ready to strike.

She tried studying his face, but that yield even less information than his attire. There was no emotion there. None. That's what was giving her the heebie jeebies. That wasn't normal, even if you were idly walking around, you'd have some type of emotion on your face; boredom, thoughtfulness, happiness.

His was stone.

Maybe she shouldn't tangle with this one? Had it been Butch or Boomer, well she could handle those two numbskulls easily. Buttercup conveniently decided not to remember her last encounter with the Green Ruff.

Yes, she was confident should could handle them, but this guy?

Ehh, maybe she should leave the dude to his counterpart? Seemed only fair after all…and there was Blossom's order about not confronting them…Buttercup lowered her eyes to the ground as she considered the option. And then she mentally slapped herself.

Fucking hell! Was she even listening to herself?!

Running away from a Rowdyruff because he seemed a bit scary? Buttercup mentally scoffed. No way in hell! Rowdyruffs weren't scary, they were nimrods that needed to be dealt with and if she could pick off one, well there you go!

Besides, Brick wasn't even the best fighter of the group, he might have been the smartest but she had combat experience and speed on her side. She was confident in her abilities against him.

AND! She couldn't afford the risk of him finding out about her and tailing her back to base. That would be disastrous. What if he was up to something evil? It was her duty as a Powerpuff to stop him before that could happen. Blossom would understand once she explained the situation to her...maybe...

Ah, who cared? Not her, she had a Ruff to restrain and question.

A smirk worked its way onto her lips as she pulled out a knife, sensing a good fight in her near future. Crouching low next to the building corner, she decided to wait until he was almost upon her to spring her attack.

Given her powerless state and the fact that he was a male, he could probably overpower should she try a straight on attack, thus a stealthier option would be optimal here. All it would take was one quick slice to the jugular…but she should question him before she killed him, otherwise that would kinda defeat the whole purpose…hmmm.

As Buttercup contemplated the best way to go about capturing her target, she noticed something strange about his face. Was that…?

Was that a pout on his lips?

She shook her head quickly and looked again. All she saw was the blank slate again. Man, her mind was playing tricks on her. She needed to focus. Get in the zone.

Tsch, pouting? Yeah right.

Slowly he trudged ever closer to her, kicking wayward rocks that stood in his path. He was completely unaware of the approaching ambush…good.

Buttercup waited until he came abreast of her position before she leaped out and jabbed her knife at his chest. If she was lucky she might get a killing strike but more than likely it would only injure him and slow him down.

Either way, she got a result that pleased her. With Brick's distracted attention she was sure she had the upper hand in her opening attack. Almost positive in fact.

So it came as a huge surprise that instead of sheathing her knife into his oh so nicely pressed shirt, she hit nothing but thin air. Somehow, someway, he had noticed her ambush and moved out of harm's way before she could stab him!

Damn it! She was sure she had caught him off guard!

Blinking in surprise, Brick danced back a few feet and stopped to consider her. She wasn't about to let him get his bearings and attack her though, especially when she saw that his hand was reaching for a knife of his own. Buttercup pressed the attack before he had more than a second to recover.

Slash, jab, slash again. She got in as close as she could, trying to force him back and off balance. Oddly enough, instead of bringing his knife to bear, he refrained from pulling it out and moved only to dodge all her strikes without raising a hand in retaliation.

What the hell kinda game was he playing at?

They danced across the rubble filled street for a minute or two, with her trying her hardest to plant a sharp piece of metal into his chest and him avoiding said metal. As time passed, Buttercup started to get more and more ticked off.

Putting more force into her strikes, she redoubled her efforts. The Puff gritted her teeth and dove in for a quick slice at his abdomen, but he dodged quickly to the side.

Grr! This was getting nowhere…it was then that Buttercup got a flash of inspiration, more of a hunch really. Instead of redirecting her attack, Buttercup did something she had never done before. She left herself wide open, intentionally.

If there was ever a time for him to pull out his knife and skewer her, it would be now…and then she'd have him.

…

Buttercup stumbled out of her lunge and whirled back to face him, eye wide with shock.

What the hell? That was a wide open shot! Why hadn't the bastard taken it?! And why the fuck was he just standing there, looking at her with that bloody stone face of his!

She growled low in her throat and paused in her assault. He made no move to retaliate or react other than raising his hands slightly, like he was trying to calm some small animal. Was that the automatic response of all the Rowdyruff boys when they met her? Treating her like a frightened animal? First Butch and now Brick, what a bunch of dicks!

Ohh, she wanted to ram her knife into those emotionless eyes so badly, make them really blood red, but she couldn't! Why the hell couldn't she? She wasn't that injured for Christ's sake!

A drop of sweat ran down the side of her face and she angrily swiped it away. Stupid injury! Stupid recovery period! If she hadn't been stuck with that damn harpoon she could have ended this fight already!

Readjusting her grip on her knife, Buttercup took a second to stare at him, trying to find a weak point in his defense. There had to be one, she knew there was. She only had to find it was all.

"Are you done? Or will you continue to mindlessly attack me for no reason?"

The Green Puff blinked in surprise as Brick finally spoke. It was with an emotionless voice, gee real shocker there, but his eyes were intent on her. It was not the gaze of someone who was toying with death; no…it was the gaze of someone who thought they were in complete control. That only served to piss her off even more.

He didn't even look concerned!

Buttercup reasserted her glare at him. Oh that jerk, she couldn't believe he actually had the nerve to say that! The nerve to look at her like that! Who did he think he was?!

"Attack you for no reason?! You're kidding right?"

He cocked his head lightly to the side. "No, I don't jape and yes, for no reason. I was merely walking down the street and suddenly you appeared out of the shadows and try to kill me with no provocation…even after I saved your life last night. Not a very grateful attitude for one such as yourself. Aren't you supposed to repay kindness with kindness? Goodness and love and all that bullshit?"

"Fuck you."

Still his face remained stoic. He lowered his hands to his side and considered her in that cold gaze of his. She waited for him to spring at her, to finally attack, but that didn't happen. He only stood there…watching her.

Buttercup shuffled her feet uncertainly, not really sure what to do now. She wanted to attack him, but that was likely to yield the same results as the last time. What she needed to do was get him off guard, maybe keep him talking and strike while he was distracted…yeah that might work.

"Boomer was right, you have changed."

She said nothing in reply and waited for him to continue, waiting for her opening. If she was lucky he'd start to monologue or something stupid like that.

"When he told me the Bubbly one had changed, I didn't quite believe it. The Blue Puff, threatening to kill someone? That's a hard pill to swallow. But when Butch told me how you escaped him, well that was even harder to believe."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Buttercup growled at him, she got the distinct feeling he had just insulted her.

Again the Red Ruff raised his hands slightly, still with that aloof look on his stupid face. "Nothing discourteous I assure you. After all, we both know Butch scraped the bottom of the barrel when it came to higher cognitive functions; it isn't that hard to outsmart him. I was merely surprised at the level of planning and forethought you showed. Even you can admit that wasn't something you were known for during your childhood."

Yeah, so her motto as a kid had been punch first, plan later. That didn't mean she couldn't think! "So? I've grown in the last ten years, what of it? It's not like you haven't."

He lifted one shoulder in what could generously be called a shrug. "I suppose we all have. I wonder, in what way has your sister changed?"

Instantly she knew he wasn't talking about Bubbles. For some reason, the fierce sisterly side of her roared up in defiance at his question. It was like subconsciously she wanted to keep his sights as far away from Blossom as possible. Why? She had no clue, but she never ignored her instincts.

"Yeah well, fortunately you're never gonna get to find out."

"Oh?" Finally his face changed, it was only a lifted eyebrow but it was different. That meant she was drawing him into the conversation, diverting his concentration. Soon she'd have her opening, she needed to keep him talking just a bit more…

"I think I'll have the opportunity sooner than you think Powerpuff." Somehow, even in the deadpan tone he used, he still made the name sound like a curse. There might have been a crinkle in his brow.

"Yeah, and why is that? Do tell." She asked in a cocky manner, lowering her knife and taking a small step forward. She even leaned forward, leaving herself open to lull him deeper into a false sense of security.

"Because I have a message I want you to deliver to your sister for me. Something she'll want to hear"

"And what makes you think I will do anything like that? For you?"

He took a step forward. "It's in our mutual benefit. I want you to tell h-"

At that moment Brick let his eyes drift upward briefly and Buttercup took her opportunity. She lashed out viciously at his face; a cut to the face wasn't totally life threatening after all. He might only lose an eye…she could live with that.

Instead of the desired outcome of him grabbing his face in pain with blood leaking through his fingers, Buttercup found her knife hand being wrenched painfully to the side.

Training kicked in and she moved to counter the grab but her injured arm prevented her from performing it correctly and the knife was torn from her grasp. Within seconds she was trapped, her one working arm pinned behind her back and her knife meters away from her on the pavement.

"Stop struggling." A cold voice said in her ear.

It was then that Buttercup realized he had set her up. The step closer, the adverted eyes…

**DAMN HIM TO HELL!** He had outsmarted her and used her own plan to his advantage! That fucking piece of gutter shit!

She thrashed around in his grip, trying to loosen his hold and get free. That only resulted in him pulling her arm up in an even more painful position and eliciting a hiss of pain from her.

How could she have forgotten about his tricks? This wasn't Butch who would blindly follow anything you set out for him. She had underestimated him…and now she was at his mercy.

This sucked major balls.

"I said stop." There was actually a bit of fire in that last comment.

Oh, was she getting under cadaver boy's skin? _Good!_

"Like hell I will!" Again she tried to weasel herself into a better position but he had the upper hand and put pressure on her captured limb once more. Her brow creased in pain.

"If you stopped resisting, I wouldn't have to do this." She heard an irritated sigh escape his lips. "Always fighting when you should stop and think…just like Butch." He muttered under his breath, but Buttercup still heard it loud and clear.

Argh! Bastard! Compare her to his shit for brains brother?! Now she was really pissed off!

In fact, this was probably the angriest she had been in a long while. That crap with Blossom this morning didn't count; that was sister fighting not actual I hate you and hope you die choking on a steel pipe lodged into your throat anger. She felt that type of anger now.

Oh did she feel it!

And it wasn't just at him, he played a big part mind you, it was at everything! At herself for disobeying Blossom, at her stupid injury that made her weak, at Brick for being able to disarm her. He wasn't even the fighter of his group for God's sake! She should have kicked his ass by all means.

_**Damn injury!**_

She struggled for another half a minute until the pressure on her arm became too much. Sullenly she allowed herself to calm down and stop fighting. She almost ground her teeth into dust by doing so, but she did calm down…a little.

"Are you going to listen now?" He asked in a causal voice.

His tone almost made her start right back up, but her common sense prevailed and she didn't dignify his question with a response, but oh did she seethe inside.

"I'll take that as a yes." He paused for a minute and loosened his grip on her arm, easing off the pressure enough to make the pain die down. "As I was saying before I had your complete and undivided attention, I want you to deliver a message to that goodie two shoes for me."

"Like she'd want to hear anything you'd have to say." Buttercup muttered under her breath.

"Oh she will, I have a proposal to give her. I would like to speak with her face to face about it. Six days from now at three o'clock in the afternoon. The roof top of the Remmington building off of Lovers and Ash Street. And I assure you this proposal would benefit us both tremendously."

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah? And how would it do that? What could you possibly offer us that would be in our 'mutual benefit'?" Sarcasm heavily laced her voice.

Instead of a reply, he released her hand. Immediately Buttercup spun around and tried to sock him square in the jaw. He anticipated that unfortunately and had stepped away a few pace as soon as he let her go.

Buttercup's swing hit nothing but air. She muttered a curse before falling back into a defensive stance. The two spent the next few seconds watching each other. The tension seemed so thick she could cut it with one of her knives.

Then, for the umpteenth time that day, Brick surprised her. "Tell Blossom my message. Remmington, six days from now, at three." He threw her a mild glare, backed up a pace or two more, and then turned and began walking away.

Just like that. Not even a backward glance.

The force with which she was grinding her teeth was causing an ache to develop along her jaw but dammit! What else could she do?!

The pain of a few minutes ago was still fresh in her mind and she knew, if she chased after him it would only result in her getting a sounder whooping this time around. She could hardly handle the thought of being beaten by him once, no way she could live through it a second time.

The only option left to her was to watch him walk off into the oncoming darkness with a fierce scowl etched upon her face. Her glare probably could have melted the paint off a car door.

As he disappeared around the far corner, Buttercup spat on the ground, grabbed her knife and turned carefully back the way she had come, keeping an eye over her shoulder as she did so.

Oh the humiliation, the blow to her pride! How could she have let this happen? And just when she thought the worst of her day was over…

She could feel the pit of anger bubbling up in her stomach, but for once Buttercup let it go. After the kind of day she had had, she was tired of being angry. It sounded strange, especially coming from her, but it was true. Getting angry took too much of her energy and right now she felt drained.

Really, _really_ drained.

What the hell had just happened? She was seriously beginning to loathe these encounters with the Rowdyruffs, every single one left her confused, pissed off, and emotionally exhausted. She didn't have all that much emotional capacity to begin with! Just ask Bubbles, she would vouch for that.

The brunette let out a sigh and started back towards her route, looking once more over her shoulder to catch any signs of tailing.

There were none. She turned back around and thought about the young man she had tangled with.

Brick was an entirely different person now; she didn't know how to handle him. There was no blood lust or extremely cocky attitude to contend with. He seemed like the type of guy who knew what he was capable of and didn't panic if things didn't go his way. Even when she came at him from nowhere he looked like he had the situation under complete control. That wasn't normal! No one did that, not even the best career soldiers she had fought with!

What was up with him? What was up with all of them would have been the better question.

And this whole meeting thing? It was an obvious trap, get them secluded then strike when they were alone…but why go to all those lengths? She wasn't an expert of the geography of the city as much as Bubbles was, but the Remmington building wasn't all that far off from the Resistance base. If worst came to worst they could have reinforcements within a half an hour. He should have picked a place at least an hour away…of course he might have known they wouldn't come if he had.

It seemed too drawn out, too...unnecessary. As he had just shown her, it would have been easier to capture her and use her as bait to lure out her sisters. That would have given him the upper hand and the Brick she used to know took whatever advantage he could get, no matter how underhanded it was.

Why hadn't he done that then? Maybe he still did have an ego the size of Alaska and he wanted to take them all out in one fell swoop? That was a probability given his nature back in the day, but it didn't seem…right for lack of a better word. It didn't seem like him now.

Buttercup sighed once more and shook her head softly. All this thinking was only having her go around in circles. The heart of the matter was that she had no clue on what to feel about her encounter and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

She figured the best thing she could do was to tell Blossom about it and get what was coming to her. _That_ wasn't going to be enjoyable in the least but then it would be Blossom's problem. That was a plus. Things were so much easier when you left the politics and espionage to someone else. She'd take a straight forward fight any day.

The Green Puff pulled her radio off her belt and signaled the OR again.

"This is OR, what's your status Spice? You were gone a while"

"Nothing to report, just a stray dog making a mess. I'm heading back to base now."

"Affirmative."

The night sky was blanketed with stars and the silver moon was barely starting to become visible. It was kinda pretty actually. In a cold, trapped in a dead city kind of way. A chill worked its way down her spine.

Man, she hated fall and winter. And it wasn't even as cold as it was going to get! They'd probably even get snow in the next two months.

Joy. That was just what they needed for stealth operations and raids, a nice set of boot tracks leading straight towards their base. She'd have to remember to talk to Blossom about that.

Buttercup's thoughts were broken as a low rumble echoed across the night. The brunette looked up, and towards the east, a red glow burned low on the horizon. East, east…the raid!

It was successful then? She was going to say yes.

That meant Blossom, Bubbles, Mitch and the boys would be back within the next two hours. She needed to hustle her slow ass up. She wanted to hear how they did as soon as possible; there was also the small matter of telling Blossom about her run in, even if she was reluctant to do it.

Fun times all around.

Giving the dying red glow one last look, Buttercup turned back and continued on her way.

* * *

**A/N: There you have it! A proposed meeting between the Ruffs and the Puffs, oh ho ho! Fun will definitely ensue! So yeah, LA was a ton of fun and I thank all of you for your patience for waiting more than a week for this update. **

**I don't have any more trips scheduled in the upcoming months so updates will resume as per usual! Every Saturday! Unless I'm feeling particularly inspired, then I might do some mid week updates. Which is why you should also be following this story! Just like Ariannah360 and Lily975 did last week! Thanks guys!**

**Reviews! - First off, just let me say wow! Five reviews! Ah yah! you guys make me feel so special!**

**Scourge: Who can resist using mate and bloody hell? They're just fun phrases! So glad you like the fire fight, the next one won't happen for...another six chapters or so, but when it does! It'll be good! **

**Lily: Bam! Rowdyruff Boys! Well, one of them at least. Don't worry they will start coming into play a _lot_ more with in the next few chapters. I'm really excited for it and I think you will be too! :D And yes, the Resistance will definitely be facing some issues in the upcoming months. Hehehe.**

**Book nerd: Welcome! Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story so far. It updates every Saturday unless something comes up, then it update earlier in the week. I plan on keeping this schedule for a _long_ time. So check back every weekend and leave me some more reviews! I love to hear from my readers!**

**Silent Read: Back again! Love it! You're definitely one of my top favs! Thanks for the review and the safe trip wishes! (I had a lot fun :D )**

**The Cynic: Thank you, thank you, awesomeness is what I aim for. As I said above, oh yes, there will be Ruffs. And with them come the fun times! *insert evil grin* Just you wait!**

**Thanks again to all my reviews (Five this week! Woot Woot!) and all you silent readers out there who continue to come back every week and read this story. It really is super cool. You guys are the reason I've gotten this far so give yourselves a pat on the back. And if you've come this far and never left a review, why don't you do so now? No time like the present! Oh, and follow and fav this story so you can catch my surprise updates! **

**Oh, and sorry for the long A/N's but I like to give everybody recognition for their coolness factor :D**

**Next Chapter: It's time to go back and see what Boomer and Butch have been doing during all this crazy action. Plus Brick comes back and tells them how his meeting went. Yeah, that's gonna go over real well with certain Green loving fighter! **

**See you guys next Saturday!**


	24. Chapter 24 – You Missed a Spot

Chapter 24 – You Missed a Spot

'Carrots…Carrots…Potatoes…Assorted….' Boomer mentally check-marked every can as he placed them back in the cabinets. Organizing and cataloguing food was a boring chore but it gave him something to do and Brick did say he wanted the place spotless when he got back.

To be honest their pantry had needed a reorganizing for months now. It was like killing two birds with one stone, except without birds…or the stone.

Come to think of it, that was a very violent idiom. Why couldn't it be hit two birds with one stone or something? Was the killing part really necessary? It was probably messy too if you thought about it. Especially if it was someone like Butch throwing the stone, it would be an explosion of gore.

Boomer shook his head lightly as he realized his thoughts were wondering…again.

Back to the cans!

After he finished with the organizing, his chores would be mostly finished and honestly, he'd rather be doing this than be running out in the cold; he was still tired from yesterday's whirlwind of events and in a way, cleaning was actually pretty relaxing.

"Gah! This freaking sucks!" The cry from across the room stole Boomer's attention from his can of baked beans.

Correction, cleaning was relaxing for him, for others…not so much.

In the living room, glaring down at the coffee table was Butch. In his one hand was a worn old shirt and in the other was a threaded needle. It wasn't hard to figure out what the over dramatic brunette was upset about.

"Clean this! Mend that! And while you do all that work, I'm going to go running around outside! Prick!" Butch threw down his half mended article of clothing and sat down on the couch with a huff, his arms crossed tightly over his chest with a pout on his lips.

'Grimace, not pout.' Boomer mentally corrected himself. Butch didn't pout as he was wont to point out.

_He totally did though_.

Boomer had to admit, it was impressive how long Butch could hold a grudge. Four hours later and he was still steamed about Brick making him stay behind. The whole cleaning thing hadn't helped in the slightest. Usually Butch shoved all his chores onto Boomer and left to go run through the city looking for trouble, but this time he had direct orders. It did not make for a very happy Butch.

It was annoying that all the chores usually got shoved onto him, but the blonde had come to enjoy his cleaning time. It was peaceful and in a way, satisfying. With most days being a wash of the same old routine, scavenging and looking for patrols, it was nice to take a break and do something different; even if it was as mundane as cleaning.

"I mean seriously! What gives him the right to order me around? When does he ever clean? I've never seen him pick up one god damned thing!"

'Because he doesn't make a mess everywhere he goes, like some people.' Boomer thought with a quiet sigh and readied himself for the next twenty minutes of ranting that was sure to come.

It was surprising Butch had held it in this long. Boomer had expected him to blow up the minute Brick shut the door, instead the brunette had just glared scornfully at everything while he started to viciously sweep the floor.

"I shouldn't have to be doing this shit! It's not even that messy! So there's a bit of dirt on the carpet, who the hell cares?! Its carpet, it's supposed to get dirty. I don't care about it, nobody cares about! What does he think's going to happen, we'll get uninvited dinner guests or some crap like that?"

Boomer put away the last of the cans and checked that off his internal list. Next came scrubbing the floors and he would finally be done. He hated scrubbing the floors; it would have been so much easier if he could still float. Staying hunched over like that couldn't have been good for his back.

He stood up and glanced at Butch before he walked to the hall closet to retrieve the bucket.

The brunette was really starting to get into it. He had abandoned his sitting position and was now pacing the floor, waving his arms around for emphasis. Boomer blinked and tried to focus again on what Butch was saying.

"And that's another thing! Why does everything have to be about those damn Powerpuffs now?! What happened to paying that fucking chimp back? Ever since you ran into Blondie it's been Powerpuff this and Powerpuff that. It's like Brick's forgotten why we're even here! Gah!"

Boomer tuned back out and went to fill the bucket in the sink as Butch continued down his path of anit-Powerpuff and anit-Brick rhetoric. It would wind down eventually; besides, Butch wasn't looking for a response. He never did. He pretty much just liked to hear himself talk. So Boomer would let him, it made things easier on him in the long run.

He did bring up a good point though; Brick had become obsessive about the Powerpuffs as of late. That could have been his nature, he was pretty much obsessive about everything, but it seemed a little extreme… even for him.

There had to be more than curiosity fueling Brick's desire to meet with them, he had to have some sort of plan thought up that involved the girls. That was the only logical explanation and Brick was, of course, logical. The question was…what was the plan? It'd be really helpful if his older brother actually clued them in once and a while.

"Two and a half months! That's the longest we've ever gone without attacking something. I swear it's like he's going soft on me!"

Boomer went back to ignoring Butch as he set his full bucket on the ground and started scrubbing away.

Hmmm, what could Brick want with the girls? They didn't have their powers anymore, so what good were they? Bargaining chips? There was a thought.

Although, not a very good one. Even if Brick did want to capture the girls, the last thing he would do was make any sort of deal or trade with Mojo. He hated the monkey's guts after what he did to them. In fact, Boomer was pretty sure if it came between a choice of eating one's own eye and making a deal with the monkey emperor Brick would choose the eye.

Maybe he wanted to use them as decoys? It had merit, from what he gleaned off of Bubbles and Buttercup during his encounters with them, they weren't working alone. They had resources and backing from somewhere. That could be incredibly useful to Brick if he could gain access to it.

Or he could set out a false trail and have the Girls act as his scape goat. Send them to tangle with one of Mojo's bigger base and then the Boys could sneak into his tower and take over from there. That seemed like the sort of devious plot Brick would come up with.

Boomer's inner discussion was interrupted by a wadded up shirt hitting him in the back of the head, causing him to bump his half full bucket across the tiled floor. The blonde whipped it from his hair and turned to glare at the culprit.

Butch glared right back with his hands situated on his hips. "Are you even listening to me ya Mute? Seriously, can't you pay attention to anything for more than five seconds?"

If that wasn't the pot calling the kettle black, Boomer didn't know what was.

Butch shook his head in an exasperated manner. "I _asked_ if Brick had told you anything about the Puffs. Like, does he even have a plan or anything? Oh, and mend that shirt, it's being a pain in the ass." He said offhandedly.

The Blue Ruff picked up a nearby towel and threw it over the spilled water before he stood to his feet to address Butch's question slash demand. As much as he wanted to chew him out…it was Butch and he was still Boomer. The results would definitely not be in his favor. It was best to stick with the survivalist approach and be apathetic.

Boomer took a subtle calming breath. "He must have something planned. This is Brick we're talking about." He shrugged mildly. "Maybe he wants to use them as decoys or something."

Butch raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Decoys? What?"

Resisting the urge to sigh at Butch's complete lack of understanding, Boomer carefully explained the theory he had been mulling over using small words. The confusion on Butch's face gradually morphed into understanding but it took a while…and he had to explain some parts over again, but in the end he got it. That had to count for something.

"Wait, so you think Brick wants to like, send them to attack a base or something while we sneak into New Townsville and take the unguarded monkey down?... Psh! Yeah right, those Puffs would get creamed. Did you see how that Collector had them pinned yesterday? They'd just be another couple of corpses to add to the pile. Pretty worthless if you ask me." Butch scoffed as he settled himself on the back of the couch.

Deciding not to fight an uphill battle, Boomer simply shrugged and set the thrown shirt on the counter for later mending. He'd do it after the floors were done. Butch was a pretty atrocious mender, couldn't stitch a straight line if it was drawn for him.

"The Girls are stronger than you give them credit for Butch. After all, when we were kids they were always saving the day." Boomer added lightly as he refilled the bucket.

"Except when it mattered most you mean." Butch scornfully muttered.

He had a point, of all the times to lose a battle, the fight for the fate of the world was not the best choice. Not that they really had a choice given what happened to them and their powers. A familiar little worm of guilt wriggled around in the back of his mind before he firmly squished it down.

"That's true, but that was just one time out of how many hundreds?" Boomer asked as he looked up at Butch and waited for an answer.

The blonde could almost see the cogs turning in his brother's mind as he thought it over. After a minute of what looked like intense thinking, a troublesome process to be sure, Butch finally rolled his eyes and nodded slightly. "Okay…mayyyybeee the Girls would last longer than a couple of minutes in a base assault…maybe"

That was probably as good a concession as he was likely to get out of the proud Ruff. With a shake of his head at the painful admission, Boomer got back to scrubbing at the half dry floors. A small silence came over the apartment as he worked.

Butch was glaring at nothing in particular, thinking…there was a novel experience; at least it stopped his ranting. Now Boomer could finish up his work in peace.

Let's see, sweeping was done, dusting was done, stains had been removed or tried to be removed from the carpet, umm canned food sorted, excess clothing picked up…what else was there? Oh yeah…

"Did you remember to pick up all the weapons and put them in the closet?" Boomer asked lightly.

"What are you? My mother? Yes, I put the damn weapons in the fucking closet. Tsch."

Why did he even bother with communication at this point? Being a mute really was much easier. With a weary sigh Boomer decided to ignore the brooding brunette and focus on his tasks.

The next half hour flew by as darkness fully stole across the sky. A bright blanket of stars shimmered into being and the thin moon soon followed.

Boomer rubbed at his back as deposited his bucket back in the supply closet where it belonged.

'Now all that's left is the…shirts…Thanks Butch.' A scowl stole across his face as he turned back towards the counter only to find that the one shirt Butch had thrown at him had somehow multiplied into six or seven.

The things he had to put up with.

As Boomer reached for the first one, a sudden rumble filled the air. A tiny tremor accompanied the sound as it faded away.

Boomer glanced curiously at Butch, who returned the look with equal bewilderment before both of them simultaneously hurried towards the window. Pulling back the curtain, Boomer looked out into the night landscape was surprised to find it not as dark as it should have been.

In the distance, there was a bright red glow of a fire and a black snake like trail of smoke dissipating into the sky. What the hell?

"What the hell just happened?" Butch demanded, verbalizing his brother's thoughts.

The blonde could only offer a shrug as he tried to think on what was on fire over there. It looked to be near Nammen Street. The cross street was harder for him to guess. With a thoughtful frown, Boomer moved towards the dining room table and looked at the map spread out on it.

Nammen Street was there and if he followed that up it would pass by Aurther Boulevard and Trans Avenue ... all the way to….

Boomer blinked in surprise as his finger landed on a little black X on the map. That was a Simian outpost. Someone had just blown up a Simian outpost.

"Come off it, we're the only ones with enough balls to do raids. Those loser anit-Emperor people could never pull off something like this, especially since they nearly shit themselves at the sight of a Simian solider." Butch's reply caught Boomer off guard; he hadn't even realized he had spoken out loud. He really needed to pay more attention to things like that.

"I don't think it was the anit-Emperor group in NT…" Boomer said as he moved back to look out the window.

Butch gave him a frustrated glare. "Then who- wait…you think it was those damn Puffs?" He asked in disbelief.

"Who else can you think of?"

"Those bloody Puffs have been laying low for the past month; it could be anyone for all the hell we know."

"Yes, because anyone has the resources for something like this." Boomer gestured to the flaming complex miles away.

"And you think the Puffs do?"

Boomer shrugged mildly. "They have a better chance than some random New Townsville citizen."

By the scowl on Butch's face, Boomer could tell he couldn't fight the logic. Maybe Brick was on to something with that whole thinking things through routine he did.

Butch remained silent and simply watched the fire as it burned in the night. Boomer saw no need to initiate anymore conversation; he was way over his quota for today anyway, so he did the same.

As they stood silently by one another, the blonde began to notice a small smile working its way onto his brother's face. It was a devious little thing and coupled with the look in his eyes it surely meant nothing good. Butch was about to do something stupid, he just knew it.

"Well whoever the hell did it; we shouldn't let an opportunity like this go to waste eh? I think I'm going to go add to the mayhem bit. There could be some good pickings in all that chaos." Butch chuckled maliciously as he turned and walked towards the weapons closet.

And there it was.

Honestly, it was a little surprising that Butch hadn't suggested something like this before now. It was impressive he had lasted four hours before putting up this gem of an idea; Boomer thought it might have been a new record.

"Brick told us to stay put." Boomer said with what little authority he could drum up in his voice.

Butch shot him a mocking look and went right back to digging out his weapons. "He told us to stay put in terms of the looking for the Powerpuff Girls. He never said anything about patrol control."

Did he really think that was going to hold up when Brick came home and found him gone?

He was going to be so screwed.

But if that's how he wanted it, well then Boomer wouldn't stop him. Trying to talk Butch out of an idea once he was determined to see it through was like trying to pluck the sun out of the sky. One, it was impossible, and two even if you did grab a hold of it you'd burn your hand off. In Butch's case it might only result in a few broken bones.

Shrugging, Boomer stepped away from the window and went to pick up the discarded shirts. "If you think Brick will buy that, then by all means go ahead and go." He said causally as he inspected the tear it had.

Butch paused strapping on his weapons as he considered Boomer's words.

It was obvious be he hadn't thought of the after portion of his little escapade. If there was one thing Butch avoided like the plague it was a lecture from Brick, which he was sure to get if he followed through with his plan. Either that or Brick could keep him locked up in here for a week. Now _that_ would be true torture to the brunette.

The Green Ruff seemed to have come to the same conclusion. All at once the feral smile dropped from his lips and a pissed off frown replaced it. With a little more force than necessary, which meant a LOT more force, Butch replaced his weapons back in the closet and slammed the door shut.

"You always ruin any of my fun, you know that?" Boomer ignored the glare and shrugged in response, already looping his needle through the shirt fabric.

He was actually rather proud of himself for keeping Butch from running off. It was a rare achievement that only Brick was usually capable of.

Speaking of the redhead, where was he anyway? It had been almost five hours since he left and he usually arrived back home after four. Had he succeed in his mission and actually found one of the Girls?

Boomer lost himself in thought and routine as he spent the next hour hand stitching the pile of ripped shirts. Butch surprisingly kept to himself too, probably sulking at his ruined 'fun'.

With the general quiet and semi relaxed atmosphere, the sudden opening of their apartment door caused Boomer to jump and nearly stick himself with his needle.

The blonde set down his work and looked curiously at Brick as he shut the door and took off his jacket. There was a small quirk at the corner of the redhead's mouth, in fact…was he smirking?

Yes, he definitely had a happy look on his face…again…and it still threw Boomer off balance. Butch noticed it too and took the initiative to speak up.

"So, did you find them?"

Brick closed the closet and looked at Butch. "I only found one but that was all I needed. My message is being delivered as we speak."

"And what IS your message, oh great leader."

Butch's sarcasm melted the rare display of positive emotion right off of Brick's face and instead a deadpan stare took its place. "We're meeting them six days from now on top of the Remmington building."

""WHAT?! Your message was to suggest a meeting?! That's it? Why the hell would you want to do that?!"

"To talk obviously." Moving to the kitchen, Brick picked out a granola bar for dinner and sat at bar.

Butch stood up from the couch and followed him, leaning angrily on the counter top. "You know what I fucking meant."

Brick merely bit into his dinner nonchalantly. Boomer was still trying to decide if he would keep his seat or move to a safer distance before the blows broke out. At the rate Butch was going it wouldn't be too long.

"Seriously! Why the hell would we need to talk those thrice damned Powersluts anyway? What could you possibly want from them? They're practically useless without their powers!"

"Not that useless, I assume you saw the light show this evening?"

Butch's glare deepened. Brick took no offense, which was surprising since he hated it when the middle brother tried to push his own authority, and continued. "That was their doing. I stopped by on the way home and I must say…the damage was rather impressive for a bunch of goodie two shoes."

"So what? That doesn't explain anything! Are you going to tell us your dumb ass plan or not?!" Butch slammed a fist down on the counter causing it to creak loudly.

The good mood Brick had entered with was steadily on its way out the door as Butch continued to demand answers. There was a slight crease across the redhead brow, a telltale sign that his annoyance was getting the better of his self-control.

Now might be a good time to move.

Boomer slid hesitantly off his stool and gathered up his piled of patched up shirts to deposit on the living room coffee table.

"I do hope you curb your lack of self-control during the meeting. We're all going to need to be on our best behavior if we want it to go well."

"I don't give two shits if it goes well or not! It can burn in hell for all I care! You don't like my 'lack of self-control'? Well, I show you real self-control issues at that fucking meeting if you don't come clean and explain the fucking plan to me right now!"

Boomer winced at Butch's raised voice. Ohh this was going downhill very, very fast. Maybe he could sneak out the front door before the first punch flew?

"Are you threatening me?" The deadly calm of Brick's voice was even more disconcerting than Butch's volatile tones.

Boomer glanced back to see his two older brothers glaring into each other's eyes. It seemed like electricity was about ready to spark between the blood red and forest green.

"You bet your ass I am! Now tell me dammit!"

Brick slowly stood up from his seat and stared at Butch for a few seconds. Butch was either too angry or too stupid to notice his impending doom and glared right back.

Oh, here it comes…and he had just cleaned the kitchen too. God dammit.

To Boomer's complete and utter surprise, Brick did not slam his fist in to Butch's insolent face; instead he said a few short sentences that would prove to throw his life into complete disarray.

"You wanna know? Fine. You better damn well be on your best behavior, because if you're not then they're never going to agree to form an alliance with us."

…

**WHAT?! **

Boomer dropped the shirt he held and stared at Brick in amazement as he tried to comprehend what had just taken place.

"_**WHAT THE FUCK?!"**_ Butch openly gaped at Ruff leader in astonishment, the abrupt change from fury to blind shock took less than two point six seconds. He took a finger and jammed it into his ear, wiggling it around as if to clean the blockage. "You did not just say what I thought you said."

Brick calmly sat back down and picked up his granola bar, giving his brunette brother a droll look. "I don't know Butch, with your kindergarten level of comprehension it's hard for me to guess what you actually pick up on and what you let pass through that empty space in between your ears."

The impact of Brick's previous announcement coupled with the wordy response only made Butch's state of confusion more apparent. He didn't even fire back with a sarcastic or abrasive comment. He was really caught off guard by this, but then again so was Boomer.

Caught off guard? More like blown clear off a cliff.

Teaming up?

With the Powerpuff Girls?

What in the world could have made Brick choose this? It was bizarre as it was bewildering and Boomer could only stand there and stare dumbly at his older brother.

The redhead spoke up again after he swallowed a bite of his dinner. "But in case some small neuron fired in there and you did understand the words that came from my mouth, then I shall relay my statement for your clarification. And I'll use small words."

Brick set down his food bar and looked directly into Butch's still gob smacked eyes. "We, the Rowdyruff Boys, are going to join forces with the Powerpuff Girls…if I can get them to agree to it."

Here, he raised a finger and pointed it directly to Butch's face. "And I swear to all the deities and devils I can think of, if you so much as think of trying to sabotage this meeting I will kick your ass from here all the way to Switzerland and back…and that will only be the beginning."

Butch opened and closed his mouth uselessly for a few seconds before he somewhat regained his composure. "But, but why?! Why the hell would you want to join forces with them?! With the enemy! Have you lost your God damn mind?!"

"In case you have forgotten, we already have a more pressing enemy. One that the Puffs just so happen to share. AND in case you haven't noticed, our progress at dethroning that vile chimp as been woefully lacking thus far." Brick stood from the stool and looked between his two brothers with a deadly serious face.

"I'm sick of this. Plain and simple. We've spent ten years doing the same damn thing, over and over again and what has it gotten us? Nothing. I, for one, am fucking tired of it. We're getting nowhere and we'll continue going nowhere until we get resources and information." He turned back to Butch. "And the Puffs have both. This is the best chance we've had in years and I'm going to take it."

Before Butch could rise to the occasion and start the whole arguing process over again, Boomer finally regained the used of his vocal cords and threw in a question of his own. "What makes you think the Puffs have resources? And why in the world would they even trust us enough to join forces?"

Throwing away his wrapper, Brick left Butch in the kitchen and took a seat on the arm of the couch Boomer was seated on.

"Simple, for the last four months the Simian army here in Old Townsville has been showing drastic signs of upheaval. I've been cataloging their routes and supply runs ever since we arrived in this damn city and never before has it changed as much as it has in these last few months."

"And you think the Puffs are behind it?" Boomer tentatively asked.

"Do you know any other groups who've made an appearance in that time frame?" Brick responded with a raised eyebrow.

A red tinge started heating up Boomer's cheeks at the jab. Stupid questions got humiliating answers.

Brick rubbed at his scar as he continued. "There have also been more signs of battles than the ones we run, more numerous too. Three girls aren't enough to deal the kind of damage I've been seeing. They have more manpower than us and way more fire power if tonight is any example."

A wrinkle creased his brow as his eyes glared at nothing in particular. "As much as I loathe admitting it, those girls have the resources we need. If we don't get them to agree to an alliance we might as well kiss any dreams of dethroning Mojo goodbye. Like the old Chinese proverb says, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Like hell I'm being friends with any of those damn Powersluts! Over my dead, festering corpse!" Butch's capacity for speech had reinstituted itself in its normal fashion. The shock had finally worn off it seemed.

Brick rolled his eyes heavenward and turned to address his brutish younger brother. "It's a turn of phrase dumbass. I have no intention of becoming 'friends' with them. Yech, even the thought of it disturbs me on whole new levels. No, this will only be a mutual exchange of interests, a way to accomplish our goal and nothing more. Think of it this way Butch, the sooner they help us take down the damned monkey, the sooner we can be done with them."

Almost incredibly, Butch shut his mouth and adopted a thoughtful look with only a tinge of sulleness. The idea of Mojo finally getting his ass handed to him obviously appealed to him, but the thought of teaming up with his arch rivals might be too much of a price to bear. Boomer guessed time would tell with that situation.

He picked up the fallen shirt and picked at it a bit before venturing his next question. "Do you…do you really think we have a chance? Getting the Puffs on our side?"

"I honestly do." Brick returned confidently. "We have six days to prepare, we can discuss this more tomorrow." With that, Brick turned and made way for his room.

Pausing at the threshold of his doorway, Brick pointed at the mat at the front door he had dirtied with his entry. "Butch, you missed a spot."

The high velocity rag thrown in his direction sailed harmlessly past him as he entered and shut the door to his room. Butch muttered out a vile curse to soft for Boomer to catch, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to hear it anyway.

The brunette had a thundercloud painted on his face and Boomer's survival instincts were telling him that keeping his head down would be the most optimal course of action for him to take. So, he hesitantly took his seat on the couch and started mending the torn shirts before him again.

"Alliance? With those damn Puffs? I can't believe it, stupid jerk off of a brother…" The muttered insults of Butch cut off with a loud bang as he slammed the door to his room shut with unnecessary force. Boomer cringed at the noise but a sense of relief flooded him when he realized he wasn't going to be left on his own with the confused, and no doubt pissed off, brunette.

It was hard to blame him for his attitude though. Anger was how Butch normally reacted to things like the way Boomer dove into his own little world, and with a revelation like this? Well, let's just say Boomer was surprised that their afternoon of work hadn't been reduced to nothing.

…

An alliance…the whole idea felt distinctly uncomfortable, completely foreign. Never in his life could Boomer remember the Rowdyruff Boys forming an alliance with anyone but the Monkey Emperor…and look how well that turned out in the end.

The Girls were vastly different from the chimp, that was obviously true, but could they even be convinced to give the Boys a chance? Did he and his brothers even deserve one?

Boomer shifted his weight uncomfortably as the thought came to him. He couldn't help but feel it horribly treasonous but that didn't stop it from being true. Let's face it, if he were a Puff there would be no way in hell he would agree to something like what Brick was proposing.

Not only had they been rivals for years, the Boys had also teamed up with their worst villain and wreaked havoc on their beloved city. Not exactly the basis for a trusting relationship.

Boy, he sure hoped Brick knew what he was doing because from his point of view there was only one way for this meeting end.

In a complete and utter disaster.

* * *

**A/N: Boom! Brick's got some plans! Whether Blossom actually goes along with any of it...Well that just remains to be seen now doesn't it? :D**

**Reviewer Recognition! And Followers and Favoriters**

**First off, big thanks to all my new followers and Favoriters out there: NyanicornYay, Scoobycool9 and Luckycool9, and NinaRN! you guys rock!**

**Scrouge: Hm, it was unexpected huh? I thought I made it rather obvious but then again I already know the story so it is probably only obvious to me. Either way, I'm glad I'm keeping you on your toes! :D**

**tweetybird99: Thank you! Glad you like it! About the guest part...You're not gonna give me any clues or nothing? I'm terrible at guessing games, I'm going to guess...are you my silent reader that's not so silent? ;)**

**Lily975: It's all good! You've got it all followed and favorited now and that's what matter :D You'll only have to wait one more chapter to find out how Blossom responds and then...the meeting! Hehehehe.**

**So big thanks to you guys! Hope you continue reading, remember! Updates every Saturday!**

**Next Chapter: Brick finally let his brothers in on the plan...Next time Buttercup gets to drop this little revelation on her sisters. How are they going to react? Tune in next Saturday to find out!**


	25. Chapter 25 – Package Delivered

Chapter 25 – The Package has been Delivered

It wasn't until Bubbles stepped through the makeshift gates into the Resistance base that she released a sigh of relief. Blossom took the lead with her and Mitch a step behind. The rest of the ATA Squad came trailing in after them.

Those who were injured were being led across the lobby towards the Med Clinic to receive treatment. Thankfully no one else had died on the way here. Two men of the Resistance lost their lives today and that was more than enough in Bubbles book; it brought tears to her eyes just thinking about it.

As Mitch dismissed the uninjured portion of his squad to their after mission duties, Blossom took Bubbles by the arm and pulled her off to the side, out of ear shot from a majority of the bustling camp.

"I never got a chance to ask you, but you didn't run into any…old rivals during your mission did you?" Blossom asked in a serious voice.

"What? No, no I didn't, just Simian troops."

Blossom nodded at her reply with a pensive look on her face. She looked almost…disappointed? "Why do you ask?"

Blossom glanced back at her and shrugged a shoulder. "It seems like every time one of us goes out they tend to show up. I just wanted to see if that pattern was continuing, better for us that it didn't tonight. Lord knows how much _that_ could have complicated matters."

Bubbles nodded in agreement as her sister shook herself and regained her authoritative persona. "I'm going to the Command Center to run through a debrief of the mission. I also need to get started on a report for the Cabinet while it's still fresh in my mind."

"Hey Bloss? Do you mind if I skip the mission debrief tonight?" Bubbles asked hesitantly. "I kinda have a lot on my mind and there are people that need to be taken care of at the Med Clinic. Not to mention these supplies need to get to the Quartermasters Office."

Okay, they were excuses to get out of a boring, drawn out meeting but they were all true. Bubbles didn't think she wanted to face the reality of what they had done tonight just yet. It was a big step and she needed a little time to come to terms with it, let it sink in.

Blossom must have picked that up because she gave her sister a small smile and a nod. "Sure, do your duties and then go get some shut eye. Is there anything else you need to tell me about the mission before I go?"

The blonde thought back through it briefly before shaking her head. As far as she remembered, she had told Blossom everything that had gone down tonight.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then. Come find me when you're ready. Lieutenant!" Mitch raised his head at Blossom's call and waved to her as she gestured towards the nerve center of the base.

"See you later Bubbles."

"Bye Blossom…" Bubbles watched her older sister walk off with Mitch by her side, no doubt rehashing the mission already. The blonde repressed the urge to sigh at the Puff leader; it was always down to business with her.

Well, there was nothing she could change about that but there were a few people that probably needed her help right about now in the Med Clinic. Shouldering her stolen supplies, Bubbles set off to the Clinic to make herself useful and, if she was honest with herself, to keep her mind occupied from the carnage that she had caused tonight.

The Med Clinic had been prepared for the influx of wounded when the raid team made its way back into the base. The Professor and Ms. Keane had organized all their people to be ready and waiting for when the injured were brought in.

As a result, the tending of the wounded took a lot less time than Bubbles originally thought it would. Within an hour, all eight injured men and women of the Advanced Tactics and Armament Squad were patched up and resting comfortably in their medical beds. The worst of the injured would likely be there for three months while a majority would be ready for active duty in a matter of weeks. That brightened her spirits a little.

Bubbles winced as she washed the blood from her hands under a torrent of scalding hot water. Hot, hot, hot! But also soothing in a masochistic way. As she scrubbed, a familiar figure in a wheel chair rolled up to the sink.

"Thank you for the help Sweetie, you didn't have to come here after your mission but I'm glad you did. Some of our interns aren't as used to the realities of war as I would have thought." The Professor said as he took her place at the sink and rinsed off his hands.

He was referring to a young man the Resistance big wigs had sent him with the last bunch of supplies a few weeks ago. Supposedly, he was top of his class in the Resistance med training but when the injured started being brought in and the blood pooled on the floor the poor lad went into some sort of shock and had to be treated along with them.

Bubbles felt bad for the intern. Heck, she remembered the first time she was thrown head first into the combat medic profession; she fell into a dead faint when she saw a soldier come in with a missing leg.

It always took a while to get over the shock and horror at seeing another human being reduced to a bloodied carcass, it was even worse when they died during an operation. Thankfully that hadn't happened today.

She had an unfortunate feeling that the young intern in question would be getting a lot of practice over-coming his shock in the months to come.

Bubbles slipped out from her depressing thoughts and gave the Professor one of her brilliant smiles as he turned back to her. "Anything to help Dad. What are you going to do now that the patients are all seen to? Go see Blossom?"

He nodded and began wheeling himself towards the doorway, gesturing her to follow him. "Yes, I was going to go hear her mission report. I know the official debrief is probably over by now but I was hoping to get some information of how it went, better than expected I'm guessing by the low number of casualties." He nodded towards the beds.

"I'd say so, we accomplished the mission and even got a little something extra. Oh! That reminds me, I still need to drop those bags off to the Quartermaster's Office before I go to bed."

"They're right there by the door Honey, I wondered why those were in my Med Clinic." He scratched idly at his chin before giving her a smile. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. Ms. Keane, man the fort while I'm gone please." He called back over his shoulder.

Ms. Keane straightened from her task of writing on a patient's medical chart and nodded gracefully. "Of course sir."

"Ah, none of that! You're going to make me feel even older than I am. As if the white wasn't bad enough." He muttered the last part while fingering the wings of white hair surrounding his ears.

"I think it's rather dignified Daddy." Bubbles said with a giggle and leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek. He returned her smile and offered one last casual salute to Ms. Keane before rolling out the door.

Seeing Ms. Keane reminded Bubbles of the kids they had taken in yesterday. Where were they now, hopefully not here in the clinic with the moaning patients? That wasn't something that five and six year olds needed to see, especially not when they had been through such a traumatic experience last night.

Bubbles left her bags by the door and stepped up to Ms. Keane's side as she finished the last of the medical records. The older brunette woman set her chart down and looked at Bubbles with a warm and curious smile. "Yes dear? What do you need?"

"I was wondering how the kids were holding up today Ms. Keane. Where are they now? Did they get their quarter assignments yet?"

"Oh, they're doing alright, a bit shell shocked still but that's to be expected with all the drastic changes they've been through lately. They're with Ms. Ellen right now; she has them over in their new quarters in Lobby C." Ms. Keane replied.

"Huh, I didn't think Lobby C was open yet."

"They only recently finished the drilling operations for the tunnel expansion project the other day. The kids were the first group assigned quarters there. It made Kevin feel very important."

Bubbles chuckled lightly as she thought about the little ADHD boy; it wasn't hard to guess how his reaction played out. Even though she had only known him for less than twenty four hours, Bubbles was convinced that he had more energy than anyone she had ever met in her life, maybe even more than Buttercup when they were children. Now there was a scary thought.

"I bet he was super excited about that."

Ms. Keane chuckled. "Excited is a bit tame of a description for it. But yes, they are all settling in just fine, although, the children were asking about you and Buttercup today before I came here. You might want to pay them a visit sometime soon dear."

Bubbles nodded at her with a smile forming on her lips, hearing that the kids were asking for them made a warm feeling spread throughout her. It felt good to be wanted. "I'll stop by after I finish up my work, but I still have a few things to do at the moment."

Ms. Keane gave her a nod of understanding. "I understand dear, whenever you have time."

"Right." With one last smile, Bubbles turned around and picked up her bags.

The next stop, Quartermaster Nicholas's Office.

It wasn't so much of an office as it was a large enclosed set of rooms that had been converted for storage purposes. Overseeing it all was Quartermaster Nicholas. His actual office was only the very first room that you walked into when you entered.

A large desk filled with stacks of paper sat behind a full length counter that stretched across the entire width of the room, from wall to wall. It was past the counter that you could get back into the storage rooms that held all the base's supplies. And behind that counter sat the man who over saw it all.

When Quartermaster Nicholas saw Bubbles enter his office a rare smile lifted the well-worn lines of his face, and he stood up with some difficulty. The clunk, clunk of his prosthetic leg beat on the concrete floors as he stepped up to the counter and leaned against it.

The man had lost his leg over twenty years ago during some battle in the pacific islands. When it had happened, instead of receiving an honorable discharge from the United States Army, he had opted to be transferred to the overseeing side of things. He had been a military man since he turned eighteen and as far as Bubbles knew, he intended to stay one until the day he died.

"Well gal, looks like you got yerself some treasure eh?" The gravely bass of his voice was often times confusing to understand for those who had minimal contact with him, but Bubbles had known him for nearly seven years so it required virtually no effort for her to decipher his words anymore. He was one of the first people she had met and befriended when she joined the Resistance.

It was a bit odd to think about, a little thirteen year old girl befriending a scarred and frightening man well in his forties, but his gruff exterior had fascinated Bubbles back then. She just knew that behind that prickly personality was a soft gooey center and as it turned out, she had been right. He held a special place in her heart; he was kinda like that grizzly old uncle that only came around a couple times of year but always had a special treat for you.

"I thought it was only s'pposed to be a hit an' run op?" He asked as he looked over the bags she was lugging around.

Bubbles shrugged with some difficulty. "What can I say? I just couldn't help myself. Besides, it's always prudent to get supplies whenever we can right? They were going to get blown up so I decided to take some for the spoils of war."

His laughter matched his voice; it was more of a low rumble that could be easily mistaken for a coughing fit than a standard expression of mirth but it made Bubbles smile to hear it. It was rare to get a laugh from the tough man.

"A'right, a'right. Haul 'em on back there. I'm a bit short on 'elp at the moment, so you'll have to sort 'em yerself." He said as he lifted up the folding portion of the counter, allowing her to bypass to the rooms beyond.

"Where is everyone?" Bubbles asked as she maneuvered her burden through the tight space.

"Ah, base patrol an' the like. S'curing the base is more import'nt than watchin' some supplies."

"Oh, I didn't know we were stretched that thin. That's fine. I know where everything goes anyway." Throughout all her scavenging missions she attained a familiarity of the storerooms and where everything went within them. It was handy knowledge to have in times like these.

"I'll leave it ta you then." Quartermaster Nicholas said as he dropped the counter back down and hobbled to his desk and the papers that awaited him there. Bubbles sent him a smile before she dragged her bags into the back rooms and began the process of sorting through them.

She hoped this wouldn't take very long, there were kids to see after all.

Most of the items in her first bag were preserved food rations. If she was judging the portions right, they could help bolster the base's food supplies for at least another two weeks. That right there was worth the trouble of her detour alone.

The second bag was also full of useful items, mostly ammunitions for their sparsely stocked armory. Buttercup would be ecstatic to hear about this little addition. Hopefully it would help get her mind off her resentment of being left behind too. Bubble still felt a bit bad that she hadn't been able to participate in the raid, not that she could have done anything to change that. Chalk it up to sisterly compassion.

After a half an hour sorting and filing all the food and ammunition into their proper places, Bubbles reached down into her last bag of stolen goods and pulled out the items that fascinated her most. The five uniforms were no longer freshly pressed but, despite being stuff hastily into a bag, were still folded rather nicely.

Bubbles cast a critical eye over the first uniform as she unfolded it and held it up before her. It matched the other four perfectly and besides some strange markings, it was rather unremarkable looking.

If she was to hazard a guess, she would say these were worker uniforms, maybe a special division by the markings on the collar. They definitely weren't guard uniforms, that was a little disappointing but she was sure Blossom could still find a way to make these useful somehow. Her sister was brilliant when it came to utilizing limited resources.

She'd have to bring Blossom here tomorrow morning and show her what she brought in, but for now, there were kids to visit and a sweet bed calling her name.

Bubbles refolded the uniform with a light yawn and gathered up its companions. Now where to put these? Somewhere out of the way so no one could misplace them. The backroom would probably be the perfect place. Hardly anyone went back there as far as she knew.

Bubbles nodded to herself and walked towards the end of the hallway to the dusty rooms. Honestly, someone needed to get back here and keep it clean. This Office had barely been operational for three months and dust was already starting to collect in piles nearly an inch thick. It was probably playing havoc on poor Quartermaster Nicholas' allergies.

Clicking her tongue, Bubbles found an empty space on a mid-level shelf and shoved the uniforms up onto it. While she situated them, a crinkling sound caught her attention. With a perplexed look, Bubbles dug through the uniforms and located the source of the noise.

It was a piece of paper.

A piece of paper? Why would a piece of paper be stuffed among newly manufactured uniforms? She guessed maybe someone dropped it in there by accident. Or maybe they had it in a pocket and it slipped out as they were loading supplies in the crate? Either way, her curiosity was itching to find out what was written on it.

Bubbles unfolded the crumpled paper and studied it, murmuring the words lightly to herself as she read.

"July 13th, 0800 hours. General notice to all Simian Army personnel: Be on the look-out for suspicious activity in the south eastern divisions of Old Townsville. Several recent patrols have been ambushed by an unidentified source, thought to be dissidents escaped from the city capital."

Bubbles heart sped up as she read through the first paragraph. The Resistance base was located in the south eastern section of the ruins of Old Townsville and they had performed ambushes. Did this mean the Simian Army already knew they were here? Well, given the raid tonight they knew either way now.

She bit her lip anxiously and read on. "Debriefing reports describe the attacks as performed by three individuals using hit and run tactics to confuse and disorientate our patrols. They leave no traces behind and all attempts to trap them have remained unsuccessful thus far.

If you notices any suspicious persons within the vicinity of any outpost, re-supply center, or frontier base, inform your superiors immediately. The safety of the Empire and your families depends on your vigilance and determination. Do not fail us, do not fail the Emperor. Long live the great Mojo Jojo

Captain of Army Intelligence, J. Howard." Bubbles murmur out the last sentence and stared at the paper, thinking through the intelligence brief.

Three individuals? That couldn't be referring to her and her sisters; they hadn't gone out on a team mission together since they were fourteen. Did that mean this wasn't about them?

…

It must have meant that. As far as she knew most ambushes sanctioned by Blossom were ordered to be carried out in teams of five or more; except in Buttercup's case of course. She was special.

And come to think of it, the date at the top meant this letter was sent out before the Resistance had even started plans of relocating the girls here. That meant it definitely wasn't about them.

Then who-

Bubbles eyes widened as the realization hit her.

The Boys…it just had to be. Who else would be aggressive and slightly suicidal enough to ambush and attack Simian patrols? And there was also the fact that in all her encounters with them, they were always claiming to be fighting against the Simian army.

Earlier, Bubbles had been inclined to disagree with her sisters that all of this mess with the boys was a trap to lure them into a false sense of security, but with this paper in hand she was now pretty convinced her sisters _were_ wrong.

There was no way a note like this could have been planted for her to pick up. The Simian Army didn't even know they were going to hold an open assault on the base they hit tonight. The planning required to implement something this elaborate wasn't worth the effort. This had to be real, she could feel it and her feelings usually turned out right.

Of course, that meant that Boomer had been telling the truth when he told her he wasn't working for Mojo. He might even be actively working against him instead! For some strange reason, Bubbles felt a small flutter in her stomach at the thought of the young man not being a spy for her arch nemesis.

It made her feel…happy?

That sounded right…it was probably because that meant that instead of another enemy force, they had a potential third party player that might offer some support. The chances were low, she wasn't going to delude herself into thinking that the Rowdyruffs would actually help the Powerpuff Girls, but at least it wasn't an attack on two fronts now.

Blossom needed to know about this ASAP! The children and her bed would just have to wait until later.

Tucking the letter into one of her jacket pockets, Bubbles stored away the rest of the items in a hurry and threw the bags in their proper place. She rushed from the back rooms and threw a quick goodbye to Nicholas over her shoulder as she jogged from the Quartermasters Office into the lobby.

She was positive she set a new record for speed walking to the Command Center because it felt like barely a minute had passed as she dashed up the steps and made her way to the OR. Hopefully Blossom would still be in there and with any luck so would Buttercup. Both of them needed to hear about this.

Her prayers were answered as she stepped into the room and found her sisters plus Mitch and the Professor standing, or in the latter's case sitting, around the center table. Blossom was currently pointing to a spot on the map and explaining something to the Professor in detail while Mitch listened and Buttercup shifted anxiously in her seat.

How was she going to do this without arousing suspicion? Crap…she really should have thought about that before she barged in. Too late now.

Her abrupt entrance garnered the attention of group and they glanced at her in various states of surprise. Blossom quirked an eyebrow at her in a silent question.

"Um…" Real smooth.

Blossom's other brow rose and joined its companion. Let's try again shall we?

"I was…wondering…" Think, think, think, good excuse, Need a good excuse.

"Yeees?" Blossom's drawn out response only made her mind blank even more. Ohh! She was no good at coming up with things on the spot.

"Well, I was…going through the supplies and I took a closer look at those stolen uniforms I grabbed…"

"And?"

"I wanted…yours and Buttercup's opinion on them! I can't figure out what division they belong with and I thought you two might know." Bubbles finished in a rush, adding a sweet smile for that extra layer of convincing.

Okay, so it wasn't her best lie ever, but it worked. She got several weird looks from the group but Blossom nodded slowly. "Okaaaay, but couldn't this wait until morning?"

Bubbles shook her head quickly. "Nope! Why put off tomorrow what you can do today right? Besides you were almost done with the debrief anyway weren't you?"

"Yes! Dear Lord, yes we were!" Buttercup enthusiastic response garnered a disapproving look from both Blossom and their dad. Mitch just chuckled lightly in his hand.

Bubbles brow crinkle lightly in confusion, normally she chalk that up to Buttercup's naturally short attention span wanting a change of stimuli but there was something a little desperate in her plea. It was odd but if it helped her get her sisters in private she would take it.

Blossom reluctantly picked up her scattered papers on the table and addressed the Professor. "Well, I suppose we went over all the important aspects of the mission, anything else can be hashed over tomorrow. Besides, it is getting rather late."

"That's fine Blossom dear, my curiosity has been sated. I think it's time for all of us to get a bit of shut eye." The Professor said as he rolled away from the table. He did give Bubbles a curiously penetrating glance as he passed by but she only smiled wider in response. With a light shake of his head he let it go and rolled out.

"Here, here." Mitch muttered and hauled himself to his feet. He offered a casual salute and followed the Professor out the door while Blossom gestured Bubbles to a chair.

"Oh no, I was hoping to discuss it in private. Please?" The blonde asked as she gave the room and its occupants a subtle glance. She didn't doubt that the four privates manning the machines were picking up every word that was being spoken. And the words she had to say were too important for that kind of rumor mill.

Any rumor mill really.

Buttercup once again helped her out by jumping to her feet. "Yeah, a change of scenery would be nice. Besides these damn chairs make my ass numb."

"Language Buttercup." Blossom sighed with a tired roll of her eyes. She gathered up the last of her papers in her arms and led the three of them out the OR towards the Map Room.

You could tell how late it was getting by the lack of personnel running through the hallways. If Bubbles had to guess it was probably nearing midnight. No wonder she was bushed. Still, sleep could wait until she passed on her important find.

She had successfully gotten her sisters alone without arousing much suspicion, much being the key word. Now the only big hurdle left was how to breach the subject? Break it gently or bluntly? Or did it really matter?

No, not really. Bluntly it was then.

Blossom gestured her two sisters to take a seat in the comfortable selection of chairs that decorated the makeshift office while she shut the door and deposited her papers on a nearby desk.

"Finally! That took for freakin' ever." Buttercup complained as she plopped down on a chair.

Bubbles blinked at her curiously as she took a seat of her own. There was more going on there than just a short attention span stretched too thin.

Blossom noticed it too, or perhaps she had known all along? "Sorry Bubbles, but the uniforms will have to wait until after Buttercup spills whatever secret she has been desperately keeping." The redhead said as she joined them at the table.

"Hey how'd you know I have something to tell you?" The brunette asked.

Blossom cocked an eyebrow. "You mean besides the fact that you look like you've needed to use the restroom for the past hour? I can see it written all over your face, call it sister intuition, now spill BC."

It was easy to pick up the exhausted tone in her sister's voice, heck even a deaf man could of. The whirlwind day seemed to have taken its toll on the General's patience and she obviously wanted nothing more than to get a little bit of shut eye. Poor Blossom.

"Okay, okay." Buttercup held up her hands to placate her tired sister. "So while you two were out there tonight, doing your thing, I took on a base perimeter patrol."

Bubbles was surprised by the admission. Buttercup doing a routine base patrol? When was the last time something like that had happened? Not once that she could remember.

Blossom seemed less taken aback, she probably anticipated Buttercup would do something like that to get out of the base. "I assume something happened during your patrol?" She asked in a deadpan voice, clearly wanting Buttercup to speed up her little suspenseful narrative.

"Oh yeah, I ran into Brick."

There went the suspense. _Big time_.

Of all the things that Bubbles had been expecting Buttercup to say, that was definitely nowhere near the top of the list. She had run into Brick? That couldn't have led to anything good. Knowing her sister, she had probably punched first and thought to ask questions later, especially considering her run in with Butch a few weeks ago.

The only problem with that assumption was the fact that Buttercup didn't appear any more seriously injured than when Bubbles had last seen her. If there was a fight between her and Brick than she must have come out on top. The blonde had no clue how she might have done that with a handicap but it must have happened…except Brick was nowhere to be seen in the base, maybe that meant-Oh God!

Did she kill him!?

This time, Buttercup's confession caught Blossom off guard so much that she shot straight up in her seat. The dead tired look she was sporting barely a few seconds earlier was gone and now her eyes were sharply focused on her brunette sister.

"What?!" Disbelief colored her voice. "Run that by me again." The redhead asked as she leaned forward.

Bubbles was still rooted in her chair with a hand covering her mouth as she thought about the possibility of Brick lying in a cold, shallow grave. Buttercup wouldn't have wasted time on anything deeper.

"I ran in to Brick while I was patrolling…well, it's more like I spotted him while I was patrolling and well…I kinda…attacked him." Buttercup admitted and rubbed at the back of her neck.

Bubbles felt faint. She could see exactly how that went, she really did kill him! No! Oh why did this have to happen now? Right when she found the letter that proved their innocence!

Why was fate so cruel?

The blonde could only watch dumbly as Blossom and Buttercup continued their conversation. Blossom's wide eyes narrowed as the implications finally sunk in.

"You attacked Brick? Do I need to remind you that you had specific orders to avoid any and all contact with the Boys?" She asked in a clipped tone.

"Yeah, I know that _technically_ I disobeyed orders, but he was so close to the base! I mean, isn't that suspicious? What was I supposed to do? Just go about my merry way? What if he had found our location and was going to report it to Mojo or something? He was alone, so I figured I'd go in, hit him a few times to subdue him and then bring him in for questioning." Buttercup replied without a hint of remorse.

"Are you serious? Buttercup, do you have any idea how irresponsible that was?! Did the fact that you're injured even cross your mind at all?" Buttercup scowled at the insult and was about to respond but Blossom kept on pushing. "How could you have possibly hoped to overcome an opponent of equal standing with a handicap? I mean, you're lucky to even be standing here right now! You even said Butch was stronger than you, how did you know Brick wasn't as well?"

"I figured that out pretty quick." The brunette muttered so quietly that Bubbles wasn't sure she heard it correctly.

Blossom caught it too and paused her berating mid rant to look at Buttercup in confusion. "Wait, what?"

The Green Puff let out a heavy sigh and looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. "He whooped my ass alright? Got me caught in an arm lock and disarmed me within a minute." She spat out.

Once again the two sisters were shocked into silence.

"So... you didn't kill him?" The question just slipped out of her mouth before Bubbles could contain herself.

Buttercup sent her a fierce scowl. "I wish, damn bastard was still alive and kicking when he let me go. God, that fucking smirk of his pisses the hell out of me just thinking about it." Her fists clenched tightly onto the poor chair arms causing them to creak in protest.

Oh thank the Maker! She hadn't killed him, they were still on neutral territory with the boys.

Whew… in hindsight, her rapid assumption was a bit out there but it was Buttercup they were talking about. Stranger more violent things had been known to happen around her. Like the base jumping incident back in Bogota.

Bubbles focus was brought back to the conversation at hand as Blossom regained the use of her vocal cords. "Whoa, hold on…he let you go?!"

It was a good thing none of them had weak hearts or they wouldn't have made it very far in this conversation. And to think it wasn't even half way over yet, Bubbles still had her little revelation to share.

Buttercup nodded silently at Blossom's question with a scowl still painted on her lips.

"Why would he do that?" Blossom wondered out loud as she sat back in her chair.

Buttercup worked her mouth once or twice before she could will herself to reply. "He, he wanted me to deliver some dumbass message to you."

"What message?"

"He said he wants to meet with us, six days from now on top of the Remmington building. Three o'clock." Buttercup finished deep breath and sat back to watch the emotions play out on her sisters faces.

If poor Blossom's heart had received a few shocks tonight, it was nothing compared to this. It was obvious to Bubbles that she had never expected something like this to happen. A face to face meeting with an arch rival she hadn't seen in a decade? That was something that happened in story books, not in real life.

Given what she had found in the note, it actually didn't surprise Bubbles as much as she thought it would. Butch had mentioned Brick's desire to meet during his exchange with Buttercup after all, they had warnings that this was coming. Maybe it was so shocking to Blossom because she had honestly thought the whole thing was a trap.

Well whatever it was, now was the perfect time to bring out her little piece of evidence. Bubbles dug into her pocket and pulled out the crumpled intelligence report. As she laid it flat on the table however, she found that she was being completely ignored.

"It's totally a trap Blossom, we obviously shouldn't go!" Buttercup said with a hand thumping against the table.

"I agree with you that it's a trap BC, but this could be the perfect way to get some more information. A face to face meeting with Brick, think of the possibilities."

"I can think of the possibilities alright, us lying dead in a ditch somewhere." The brunette replied with a glare.

"Um, girls?" Bubbles hesitantly interject...and was ignored once more.

"We won't end up in a ditch, I'm not saying we walk in fat and happy. We have to do this smart. We could bring along a fire team and place them on adjacent buildings, that way we have some covering fire if things escalate too quickly." Blossom said as she grabbed a pencil and some paper.

"What if they launch their trap before we even reach the building? What then?" Buttercup challenged.

"Girls?" Disregarded.

"We'll still have the fire team with us. That will give us the advantage in fight they try to pick a fight with us. It'll be ten versus three."

"Girls?!" Getting kinda pissed off now.

"If they're working for Mojo then they could have back up too! What if they bring in a company of Simian troops? What then Leader Girl?" At this point Buttercup was up on her feet leaning heavily towards Blossom who was quickly jotting down note after note on her paper.

"That's just a possibility we're going to have to risk. I need more information Buttercup and this is the best chance we've gotten so far. I intend to take it."

Bubbles had just about reached her limit with those two, in fact… she had reached her limit. It had been a long night and she was pretty much done with etiquette. Time for more drastic measures.

"GIRLS!" Bubbles slammed a fist down on the table as she yelled, jarring its legs and sending Blossom's papers sliding everywhere.

The conversation her two sisters were engrossed in was instantly cut off as both of them looked at her with their mouths hanging open. That was one way to get their attention.

The blonde cleared her throat innocently and gave them a sweet smile as she pushed the note across the table towards them. "You might want to look at this."

Buttercup was still gaping at her while Blossom picked up the intelligence note and read it. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she pursued line after line.

"Where'd you find this Bubbles?" The redhead asked as she finished and handed the report to Buttercup. The Green Puff plucked the paper from her hand a tad bit violently and read it with a frown.

"I found it in the stack of uniforms I took from the supply base we raided tonight. This is what I really wanted to talk to you about. "

"What's so important about this? They know we're here, big whoop, as if they didn't know that already after tonight." Buttercup said blithely as she tossed the paper onto the table top.

"That isn't about us Buttercup." Blossom said as she folded her hands under her chin. Bubbles could see the gears in her mind whirling around this new information.

Buttercup looked at her leader in bewilderment. "What do you mean it isn't about us?" She picked up the paper and tapped it lightly. "It's obvious talking about enhanced human beings and news flash Blossom, the only other super humans besides us are-" Lime green eyes widen in shock as the pieces finally clicked into place.

She looked between the two of them in disbelief. "What? No, the boys? Working against Mojo Jojo? You can't believe that!"

"Look at the date Buttercup, that was before we even got here." Bubbles gently pointed out.

"Psh, it's obviously a plant to lure us into thinking they're on our side. How convenient is it that this just so happens to be found the _day_ Brick says he wants to meet? No way, I'm not buying it!" She said while stubbornly crossing her arms across her chest.

Bubbles resisted the urge to sigh at her sister's pigheadedness. "What about all of our encounters with them so far? They've had plenty of opportunities to get rid of us! Why go through all this trouble to set up some elaborate trap when they could have finished us off already?" Bubbles asked with her hands raised questioningly.

"Cause they're evil Bubbles! That's what evil people do! They make overly complicated plans so we can pick 'em apart and kick their ass to next Sunday! And THAT'S what we should be doing!" Buttercup argued right back.

"You can't honestly believe their still completely evil Buttercup. Not after they saved our lives!"

"Oh yes I can! And I do! Those slimy bastards are just waiting for us to run up to them and then WHAM! We get blown to hell! Do you really want to risk the mission on-"

"Quiet, both of you." Blossom's command cut through Buttercup's retort and silence filled the air as they obeyed.

The Puff leader gestured them to take their seats again. Bubbles quietly did so while she observed her older sister's face. Blossom had already made her decision about the meeting; she only hoped it would be the right one.

Unfolding her hands, Blossom placed them on the table and addressed the room. "Trap or no trap, we're going to this meeting." She quickly raised a hand to forestall Buttercup's angry objection. "I'm not saying it is or isn't a trap. With all the evidence and this piece of paper, it could be perfectly safe. Then again, this is the Rowdyruffs we're talking about and they are as devious as they come. The point is we won't know until we see them for ourselves."

Bubbles felt a small victorious smile bloom on her face as Buttercup's scowl deepened in protest.

"Besides," Blossom pushed herself onto her feet. "It's been ten years since I've seen Brick, it wouldn't do to be rude and decline such a nice invitation."

Taking that as a sign the meeting was at an end, nobody could change Blossom's mind when it was made up, Buttercup shoved herself to her feet and stalked from the room muttering something about chauvinistic pigs under her breath.

Bubbles watched her go with a wince but figured it was better to let her have some time to herself. She would have to come to terms with it eventually. Blossom shared her thought as she merely shook her head at Buttercup's brooding exit.

"We'll have to do some reconnaissance of the area this week, plan some escape roots in case things get hairy. " Blossom absently mindedly said as she gathered up her papers and stacked them neatly.

"Right, that shouldn't be too hard." Bubbles replied as she got to her feet. Walking passed her sister; she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You made the right choice Blossom. They need to at least be given the chance to explain their situation."

Blossom sighed heavily under her hand. "I hope you're right Bubbles…I really do."

* * *

**A/N: The meeting is on people! Ah yeah! :D You have no idea how psyched I am for the next few chapters. It's going to be AWESOME! If I do say so myself!**

**Reviewer Recognition:**

**Lily975: Yes! everything so far has been leading up to this moment! All I'm gonna say about it, is that Brick better have something real good up his sleeve :D Thanks for the review!**

**My Silent Reader: Darn, I had a feeling I had guessed wrong . I hope your exams went well and you kicked butt on them! Sufficed to say, these next couple of chapters are going to be the most exciting for the story so far! Hehehe.**

**Scourge: Hehe! Glad you liked it, Butch is also so fun to write cause I can just go so over the top with him. I tried to make the Puffs reactions equally as fun but still different. They were a bit more accepting of the situation I think so it wasn't as gravely shocking or anything like that. Just wait until the meeting though :D**

** tweetybird99: Dang it! That was going to be my second guess! Ugh, I told you, bad at guessing games. Well, if the last chapter had you on the edge of your seat, then you'll need something to strap yourself down for the next couple of chapters. Excitement! Ego Clashing! And Possibly Mass Bodily Harm! Stay tuned, you'll like it.**

**NyanicornYay: I know your review for for chappter 19, but I'm gonna respond to it here. Yes, Rock solves everything! Except in a game of rock paper scissors lizard spock, then Spock wins ;D**

**TheCynic:Welcome back! I hope you had an awesome trip and I'm glad my humble little story could brighten your day! So yeah, now all the reactions are out of the way and the meeting is on! You guys won't have to wait long to read it cause I don't want to string it out. So prepare yourself!**

**Big thanks to all my reviewers out there! You guys make this so enjoyable! And a special thanks to all my new followers and favoriters: RiseOfTheFallenAngles and Devin Trinidad. Welcome aboard! I hope to hear from you guys :D Remember, I love getting me some reviews! So if you haven't left one yet, why not now? It would be _cool_. Just saying :D**

**Next Chapter:..._Nope!_ Not gonna tell ya! Yes, yes I know. 'WHAT?! That's evil!' And yes, yes it is. Mwauahahaha! Needless to say, I am confident none of you will even expect what the next chapter is going to be about. (hint: it ain't in any of the Boys or Girls POV.) You guys will just have to come back next Saturday to find out what's in the mystery chapter! Have a good week!**


	26. Chapter 26 – Evil, but Magnificent!

Chapter 26 – Evil, but Magnificent!

'Red wire connects to the central core…Blue to the negative output module…and Green to the-'

"Um, Yo-Your Eminence?"

And just like that, the green wire slipped from the grasp of his pliers and slid down into the depths of the casing, lost in a sea of machinery, tubes, and giant coils. It was with hard fought effort that Mojo Jojo, Supreme Ruler and Destined Emperor of all Earth and Human Kind, repressed the urge to scream his little chimpanzee lungs out at the interruption.

He settled for gnashing his pointed teeth together instead and glared at the intruder to his private sanctuary. Down below the platform he was situated on was a tiny shrew of a man, nervously shifting from foot to foot.

Bogden, his Chief security officer and proxy mayor of New Townsville.

As the affairs of one insignificant town were too beneath him to oversee personally, he had assigned the management of it to one of his many advisors. And it just so happen to fall on the shoulders of this man.

Oh what did that buffoon what now?

"How many times must I inform you that I am not to be disturbed, bothered, or otherwise troubled while I am working in my laboratory?" His harsh words made the little man cringe and try to shrink into his one size too large suit jacket.

"Um…I'm, I'm so sorry Your Eminence, but I uh…just received some um, troubling news s-sir." Bogden replied while he hesitantly held out a sheet of paper towards the Absolute Overlord.

Said Overlord growled low in his throat when it became apparent that the gnat wouldn't leave until whatever petty news he brought with him was read and catalogued. Of all the times to be disturbed! Right in the middle of his inventing time! Whatever his Security advisor had to say had better be important or his most trusted interrogator Mately would be getting a new assignment today.

With a heavy frown, Mojo stood up from his work and pulled off his safety goggles, setting them gently aside for later use once this annoyance had been taken care of. He made his way down the twenty foot ladder and readjusted the crushed velvet mantle that sat upon his shoulders.

It was always important for the leader of the world to look his best, even when conversing with complete and utter imbeciles who didn't know they're _place_.

Bogden cringed even more as the personification of total authority stood before him and shakily held out the paper. Mojo ripped it from his hands and threw once final glower his way before glancing over the report.

"Hmm, reports of two attacks so on and so forth…eastern region of the former city of Townsville…still estimating cost of damage …three aggressors in the first attack…inconclusive number of aggressors in the latter assault…"He mumbled his way through the paper and before turning his beady black eyes once more to his lowly, pathetic excuse for an officer.

"Why are you bringing this to my attention? Is it not your official capacity to handle the developments in and around the city of New Townsville and its former station appropriately called Old Townsville as well? Should it not be _you_ who is seeing to this matter instead of interrupting my valuable and productive research time? Of which I get little enough as it is?"

His rapid fire series of questions left the spindly man speechless for a moment. Bogden licked his lips before replying in a weak voice. "It's just that uh, you asked to be um…notified if anything of noticeable thr-threat occurred in the su-surrounding area sire. I th-thought-"

"And that, you insignificant worm of a man, was your first mistake!" Mojo's raised voice cut off Bogden's reply and set the man into a nervous silence. "Two raids on irrelevant outposts within the farthest reaches of a city of ruins and you think that is enough to justify disturbing my sacred time of invention and research?! Why is it do you think that I have a schedule time of meeting with my advisors, my counselors, my _administrators_ at the end of every day?! Do you not think this information could not have waited the extra three hours for that precisely scheduled time to occur?!" His nostrils flared with barely controlled anger as he pinned Bogden with his gaze.

The man sunk into his shoulders in shame. Mojo felt no pity for him, nor did he feel any satisfaction at the raw display of power he held over this human, one of the so called superior race.

Pathetic. Worthless. Utterly disgraceful. A superior race with such a lowly cognitive ability, it was a wonder another species hadn't risen up and overthrown these pathetic creatures earlier.

Mojo reached up to touch the nearly unbreakable glass that protected his most valuable asset in life and held him high and above the creature sniveling before him. He threw one last sneer at the groveling man before turning around and depositing the paper on his steel inlaid wooden desk.

It was one of his favorite pieces of furniture in the room, a combination of the old and the new, exuding raw power combined with the dignified and refined nature that he most supremely represented in his state of being. It always calmed him to sit behind it on his plush leather chair and leer across its breadth towards any petitioner to remind them that it was **_he_** who held the power.

It did little to calm his irritation today though. He frowned once more at the innocent paper before thinking back over its contents, two small raids in a supposedly empty shell of a city. That in itself was little cause for worry, there was always some outbreak of violence this close to the capital of his empire. It came with the territory he supposed. It was a tad troubling that it occurred within miles of his ring of power though, and the culprits…

He felt his scowl deepen even more as the obvious answer came to him. Three unknown assailants? Poppycock! This had the markings of those pests all over it.

The Rowdyruff Boys…his own creations. His teeth ground together at just the thought of them. Oh, how he wished he had finished the job he had started all those years ago and rid himself of their constant irritation!

It was never shocking news to receive word that the three young men he had raised as his own had once again attacked a convoy or a patrol. They did that often enough in the past few years. It was usually nothing more than words on a page to him; he had plenty of people within his empire to replace a few casualties.

But this…this was more than a simple assault on a convoy or supply train. This was an attack on one of his outposts! One of his properties! The nerve of those wretched boys! One of his fists clenched in anger as he thought about them.

It had been years since he had seen or interacted with them but still he could remember their faces perfectly, their superior condescending smirks at his expense. Ungrateful cretins!

Mojo took a calming breath, now was not the time to dwell on such things.

There were matters to be taken care of and his precious inventing to get back too. Situating himself to a more comfortable position in his posh chair, the Monkey Emperor looked up again towards his city advisor. "Do you have an estimated casualty rate and cost of damages report as of this hour?"

The man wordlessly shook his head and refused to lift his eyes up past the scenes that were engraved in the front of his Emperor's desk.

In an objective point of view, the markings were quite breathtaking in not only their quality and detail but also in the technique that was used to carve them. One might say the only disturbing portion of the engraving was its subject matter.

It wasn't hard to see why the sub species before him found such carvings distasteful and frightening, but Mojo himself rather liked the engraved scenes of humans writhing in pain as they were horribly abused and tortured. It was such a spectacular piece of creative work after all.

The skill which had been put into the carving was simply marvelous. Oak, Ash, Birch, Mahogany and many more types of wood flowed together and molded the scene in an excellent artistic fashion. The small pieces of steel inlaid throughout the engraving highlighted the scenes of torture and misery that the rendered humans suffered through.

It had cost the Emperor a pretty penny for his symbol of dominance but the effect it had on all who came before him was worth the price. Besides, he was Emperor of the known world; he had more than enough pennies to spare.

It was working its intimidating magic now; if the slight shivers that visibly shook Mayor Bogden were any indication. The man was frozen in silence, eyes captivated by the scenes in the wood.

Mojo absently drummed his gloved claws across the steel desktop while he contemplated the problem he was served. These Boys were never much of a threat towards him, they had little enough power to do more than delay a shipment or two but these two raids…There was something just the slightest bit unsettling about them now that he thought about it.

While he was sure this was a fluke piece of sheer impossible luck on their part, should they continue to become a superior nuisance then something would have to be done with them. But that was only _if _their enhanced destruction continued.

He had a bigger bug to squash in South America and that required his full and undivided attention. Not to mention three loose ends that needed to be found and cut.

Mojo exited his internal train of thought and looked down at his advisor. At least this sorry man was good at administration. That was his only saving grace for interrupting his sanctioned inventing time.

"Bogden." Said man jumped slightly at the abrupt call.

"Ye-yes Sire?"

"I am feeling merciful today; I will leave this manner in your direct hands. See to it that another one of these 'raids' does not happen again. If another attack like this should occur I will attribute it to your lack of vigilance and see that another is given a chance to prove themselves more qualified. Am I understood?" With the added glare there was no way the administrator could take the threat as anything else.

He swallowed nervously once more and nodded. "Yes Sire. I un-understand."

"Good, now leave my sight…and have those reports ready for tonight's meeting!"

Bogden jumped to answer the command and scurried out of the room into the expansive hallway beyond. The loud thud of the massive doors as they shut brought a cruel smirk to Mojo's face.

He did so love it when his subordinates slash slaves jumped to do his bidding. It was the proper place of things, the way it should be.

But enough of basking in his success and glory! There was work still to be done! Casually placing the attack report in his stack of papers to peruse at a later date, the Monkey Emperor hopped off his cushioned chair and made his way once more to his all-consuming invention.

It was a work of brilliance if he did say so himself. Yes, this invention was going to be the key to his total and complete victory once and for all. It was still in its early stages true, but in a matter of months his new terror would be fully operational and ready for deployment. The hardest part of his project would be deciding where to send his abomination to first.

Maybe a trip to South America?

The wicked grin returned to his face in full force as he chuckled darkly to himself. Soon his day of reckoning would be at hand! Soon the entire world would bow to his feet and be enslaved to his will. It would be a glorious day indeed.

And how poetic that it should all start from the place it began? Right here, in the city of Townsville! Yes! It was the perfect finish to he is hard won world dominance.

As long as the minuscule annoyances that plagued him didn't interfere. He was objective enough to understand that that was a wish that was bound to go unanswered. They would try to stop him with all their might. The Rowdyruff Boys, the Resistance…the Powerpuff Girls.

A deep frown pulled the delighted grin right off his face as he thought about his arch nemesis. Yes, of all the annoyances who posed a threat to his domination, they were no doubt the worst.

Climbing the ladder up towards his invention once more he thought about the last report he had received on them.

Vanished, gone without a trace. How the three bright and shining faces of the Resistance could utterly disappear from his radar was something he was still trying to come to terms with. Four months they had been missing. Four! The intellectual part of his brain, which was all of it, knew that whatever those girls had been doing during their sabbatical wouldn't amount to anything good for him.

He needed to find them and quickly, before they somehow managed to gain a foothold. As unlikely as it seemed that they could ever put up a fight against someone who owned three quarters of the world, he was pragmatic enough to consider the possibilities.

He wasn't dumb; he was a genius after all! Precautions must be taken.

Which was why this wasn't his only new shining example of exemplary intelligence he was working on! The other must be kept hidden though, even more so than his current project. If that was to be uncovered or disturbed before it came to fruition…

Maybe he should put more concern into this 'raid' business? A problem nipped in the bud was one less headache for him in the future. Yes, it would be the wisest course of action, a few more patrols and Collectors roaming the ruins should do the trick.

Never mind the fact that he had tried that approach before with the Boys and it had yielded less than spectacular result. This time would be different!

Still…

Mojo secured his work goggles over his coal black eyes and fingered the communication device attached to his mantel, activating it to contact his most trusted lackey.

A few seconds passed by, but no response came and Mojo frowned. Again he pressed the button as his foot started to tap impatiently.

Still no response!

What was with these humans!? Was there not one among them who was reliable? When he called for one of his lackeys he expected them to answer! It was just as Mojo was starting to turn purple in the face that a blip called out from his communicator and a faint cry could be heard. It sounded like sobbing.

"Mately." A deep bass responded crystal clear from the tiny speaker, vastly different from the faint crying that also carried through.

A frown marred Mojo's face as he glared at the innocent contraption. "Mately! What took you so long?! When I call you I expect, require your utmost haste in responding! I will not tolerate, abide, or stand for anything less!"

"Apologies Your Eminence. I am working a case currently." The bass replied unperturbed, it was obvious he was used to this kind of conversation.

"Working? With who? I haven't been informed of any prisoners requiring interrogation, why haven't I been informed!" The Monkey King growled.

"It wasn't worthy enough of your attention sire; a mere runt found trying to escape the capital."

A scowl of disgust stole over Mojo's face. An anti-Emperor scum, how he detested those wretched creatures. It was as if they forgot that they were provided for and sheltered from misfortune by his totally un-required and under appreciated generosity. The nerve!

In his more primal stages of thinking he couldn't help but wish that he could wipe out all of those vermin the moment they were captured. Do away with all this ridiculous prisoner nonsense and save the cost of housing and feeding them in the dungeons. The only downside to that of course, would be that his magnificent dungeons would then go unused.

A dungeon is a terrible thing to waste…and where would Mately keep his office if they were shut down?

Another tortured scream echoed through the communication line.

He was _quite_ proficient at his job.

"I see, alright I shall forgive your tardiness on this occasion, be sure that such an action doesn't happen again in the future and inform me of your schedule next time there is a change I am not aware of."

"Of course sire."

Seeing that that matter was dealt with, Mojo nodded to himself. Truly that was one of the primary reasons the Monkey Emperor considered Mately one of his best lackeys. The man never attempted to grovel or butter him up; he simply told the blunt and honest truth in matters and never showed a speck of emotion.

That was a quality that Mojo found quite refreshing after being surrounding with preening imbecile clamoring for his favor all day, every day. It also helped that Mately was one of the most skilled interrogators that he had ever come across in his victory tours around the parts of the globe that he controlled.

Yes, good tools were hard to find but Mately served him well, which was why he was most qualified to oversee Mayor Bogden and how the tiny man responded to this 'raid' situation. If the situation escalated, Mately would inform him. Yes, much more reliable than that moronic advisor.

Mojo cleared his throat and got to the point. "It has come to my attention that a few recent disturbances have occurred. I want security around the capital raised to level orange and a preliminary army draft plan put in place. I expect these on my desk by the end of the week, is that understood?" Mojo replied.

"Yes sire."

"I also want you to keep a close eye, a _watchful_ eye on Mayor Bogden. I have chartered him to take care of this issue, see to it that he doesn't collapse under his own ineptitude and report any suspicious findings to me."

"Yes sire."

"Good, carry on." With that, Mojo turned off the line of communication.

That should be enough for now. If things began to get out of hand, he would simply implement the draft and flood the ruined city with troops and Collectors. He could pull out the necessary soldiers from surrounding cities and states, those that were fully pacified and could be left with fewer troops.

Really, the most ideal way to deal with those Rowdyruff pests would be to finish his most brilliant of creations and send it on a test run through the city before he unleashed it on those drooling Resistance buffoons in South America.

A dark chuckle met the thought. Yes, that was a most amusing idea indeed.

He made mental note to remember it and turned back to his half built machine. In a way, it was symbol of his great journey through life. Struggle, turmoil, a complete disarray…but with a few more months of work it would rise from the darkness and shine its glory down on the slime that inhabited this world.

Things were finally coming together, after ten long years soon, soon! He would crush that tiny Resistance and wipe away any last vestiges of hope among the populous of the world. With the sight of their saviors in flaming ruin, the rest of the human race would finally bow before him and grovel at his feet.

And then…his life vision would be utterly complete!

A maniacal laugh echoed through his private sanctuary as the Monkey Emperor picked up his pliers again.

The faster he finished up this delightfully diabolical machine of evil, the faster that scenario could occur. But first, it had to get finished! With a self-satisfied smile and the occasional chuckle, Mojo returned his focus on the sea of machinery before him.

Now where had that green wire fallen too?

* * *

**A/N: Bwauhahaha! I love it when stories give you some insight into the villains, so I decided I would put in my story too! I hope it came as a pleasant surprise and conveyed the essence of Mojo Jojo. It was quite fun to write and throw in as much vocabulary words as I could manage. :D He's just so eloquent!**

**Reviewer Recognition:**

**The Cynic: Yes, Brick better have something good cause we both know it won't be easy to convince Blossom of anything. Hehehe, you're gonna love next chapter! Thanks for the review!**

**Scourge: So, even though you guessed it, how'd you like the Mojo chapter? I thought it would be a nice touch considering the next two chapters are gonna be jammed packed with awesomeness! Thanks for the review, like always :D**

**Devin Trinidad: Bubbles is a kind and trusting soul, the question is...is she _too_ trusting? Buttercup and Blossom will just have to balance it out with all their suspicion. As for Buttercup and bloodshed...let's just say things will probably get heated yeah? Thanks for the reveiw!**

**NyanicornYay: I love Big Bang Theory! Comedy gold. But back to the story at hand. You're wait is almost finished! Thanks for the review!**

**Lily975: Ahh! I feel so special! Reading my story right after a trip, that totally made my day :D And sorry for the cliffhangers, they are just so tempting and perfect! There will probably be a lot more throughout the rest of the story, so you'll just have to get used to it! Hehehe.**

**Okay, I just want to give all of you a HUGE THANK YOU! Misconceptions now has over 50 reviews! 50! That was way more than I thought I would ever get and it makes me so happy. Seriously, you have no idea how happy I am! I say it over and over again but you guys rock! And thanks to all my silent readers who sit behind the scenes and just enjoy the story, I see your views and that makes me just as happy too!**

**I also want to thank LunarStarEclipse for the favorite and the follow! Welcome aboard! **

**Next Chapter: The moment you've all been waiting for!...The meeting begins!**

**Well, that's all for now folks! Check back next Satur-wait...wait a minute. Hmmm. You know, now that I think of it, I _did_ just get over 50 reviews and we _are_ getting to the most awesomest chapters so far. Ah what the heck? Everybody should come check back on WEDNESDAY if they really can't wait to see what happens next! After all...the meeting is on!**


	27. Chapter 27 - Ruff N' Puff

**A/N: Here we go people! Enjoy!**

Chapter 27 – Ruff N' Puff

The wind was cold that day, especially from the top a twenty story building. Bubbles shivered as she hugged her jacket tighter around her. Fall was definitely coming to an end and winter was starting to make some headway in the ruined city. Thankfully the temperature wasn't too frigid for snow yet.

But it was still freaking cold!

Bubbles looked out from the rooftop edge of the Remmington building and gazed at the city that had once been hers to protect. She could just barely make out the park to the north and the lifeless mountain at its center.

The main view from her vantage point was the crumbled and fire blackened buildings that made up a majority of Old Townsville, the shattered remains that had once been the bastions of productivity and wealth. This city was far from the shining, prosperous metropolis it once had been. It had never been more apparent to her than right now, up above the ground level…almost like being in flight.

At least the trash covered streets weren't visible from up here, those were really disgusting…especially the rats that populated them. Bubbles wrinkled her nose at the thought and turned from the edge. Seeing her two sisters prowling around the rooftop reminded her of the reason they were here, which pushed back the depressing thoughts and instead caused a slew of butter flies to erupt in her stomach.

Today was the day.

Bubble bit her lip anxiously as she thought about it. She couldn't help but feel nervous for what it would bring. The past week had flown by far more quickly than she thought possible and now the time for the meeting with the Rowdyruff Boys was at hand.

Just the thought of standing face to face with her counterpart and his unruly brothers caused her stomach to flutter uneasily. She hoped it would calm down when the meeting actually started but she wasn't holding her breath.

"I got nothing." A grumble from the center of the roof stole Bubbles attention from the trembling in her tummy and she looked towards her green clad sister. Buttercup stood there with a disgruntled scowl and her arms crossed loosely over her chest.

"Same here." Blossom said as she joined Buttercup in the middle of the roof. She frowned at the open expanse of the roof. "Not one single thing out of place as far as I can tell. I suppose it really isn't rigged with anything."

"Do you really think they would have tricked us into coming all the way out here only to blow us up? Doesn't that seem a little…" Bubbles trailed off as she tried to think of a good word.

"Convoluted? Yes, but we can't be too careful where the Rowdyruffs are concerned. They have been known to do some particularly despicable deeds in the past." Blossom supplied as she cast one more critical eye across the rooftop.

"And nothing says they've changed. I wouldn't put it past them to rig this entire building with explosives just to blow us to kingdom come. I bet that green bastard would enjoy it." Buttercup growled.

It was hard for Bubbles to refrain from sighing at Buttercup's spite towards her counterpart but she managed it…barely. As long as the brunette held those feelings at bay during the meeting the Bubbles was willing to let the topic slide.

No amount of talking would ever change her sister's feelings, of that she was certain. It did help that Blossom had extracted a promise from the feisty Green Puff that she would be on her best behavior, secured by the threat of grounding once they got back to base if she didn't. Whether that promise held up once the meeting actually started…that remained to be seen.

This meeting was really going to be something else, that was for sure.

"Now Buttercup, give our hosts some credit." A smile began to form on Bubbles lips as Blossom finished her examination of the roof and addressed her sisters. "The Rowdyruff Boys may be a pack of degenerate malefactors but I doubt they would actually blow us up."

Bubbles nodded smartly at Blossom's statement as Buttercup shot her a disbelieving look. "You seriously believe that?"

The blonde was just about to add her two cents but Blossom cut her off. "Yes, if anything those ruffians would rather watch us die in person than do something as passive as catching us in an explosion. It's too impersonal for their tastes. Everything in their MO points towards up front confrontation and fights."

She didn't even try to hold back her sigh this time.

"Oh come on Bubbles, even you can't be that naïve." Buttercup barked at her as she caught her sigh.

"What do you mean? I'm not naïve."

"Yes you are! You honestly believe they've really turned over a new leaf?"

"What's so hard to believe about that?" Bubbles ask back with a shrug, feeling a bit defensive.

It wasn't an impossibility, stranger things had been known to happen and ten years was a _really_ long time. People changed over the years, why not the Rowdyruff Boys too?

Sure, there wasn't much evidence to base her belief with only one encounter to go on, that wasn't counting the one where their lives were saved, that wasn't so much an encounter as it was a brief cameo, but Bubbles was at least willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"They're the Rowdyruff Boys! That's what makes it so hard to believe! They lied all the time in case you've forgotten!"

The brunette searched the sky for a moment before recalling something and snapping her finger, pointing it at the Blue Puff. "Remember that time Boomer colored that earth worm with crayons and told you it was a gummy worm because his brothers thought it would be funny? You ate that thing and got sick for two days!"

Oh, Bubbles really wished she hadn't brought that up, just the thought of that episode made her stomach queasy.

She fought hard to suppress a shudder. "Yeah, but that was only a stupid practical joke they played when they were six Buttercup. You don't think they'd do something like that now do you?" She asked with a disbelieving brown raised.

Blossom smirked in amusement at their discussion and shook her head lightly as she started towards the roof access door. The other two girls followed her and kept up their mini quarrel along the way.

"Well no! Of course they wouldn't do something stupid like that! But what about tricking us into thinking their good huh? That's definitely something that they would do!" The brunette exclaimed as they began walking down the dim set of stairs.

"Maybe, but how do you know their even like that still? Look at how much you've changed in ten years."

"I'm still the same! The essence of me is still there." Buttercup wiggled her fingers to help visualize her 'essence'. "And the same is true for those lousy cretins!"

"But what about-"

"Okay girls, I think we all get the point. You both have different opinions on this matter but the main thing is that we need to remember is to be cautious…especially with this meeting." Blossom cut Bubbles off before the mini argument could steamroll into something bigger.

Bubbles could have pushed the issue but really, what would that accomplish? Not much in her book. So instead, she shut her mouth and followed Blossom as they stepped out into the hallway of the top floor.

The building itself wasn't all that luxurious or unique; actually it was pretty standard as far as office buildings go. The white washed wall provided a boring, blank canvas for the faded mauve carpet and those horrible cardboard tiled ceiling panels.

Why had anyone ever thought those were a good idea to begin with? Most of them had collapsed under years of water damage and created moldy rubbish piles along the hallway; at least it covered up most of the carpet.

Mauve, yech.

"We only have about thirty minutes until the scheduled meeting time. Let's find a good place to sit down and wait." Blossom commanded after a brief consultation of her watch.

Looking around, she picked a closed door nearby and turned its door handle. It opened without complaint and inside showed what appeared to be a conference type of room. A large table that had once proudly filled the entire length of the room now laid toppled over onto its side, broken right down the middle. The chairs were hastily shoved aside as well, but a few of them seemed to be in working condition.

Buttercup pushed past Blossom and gave the room a once over. Nodding her head in satisfaction, she walked over to the nearest chair and sat it up right, dusting it off with a few quick pats of her hand. When she was pleased with her work, the brunette plopped down into the seat and assumed an exaggerated slouching posture. With her arm finally liberated of its sling she was free to drum the fingers of both her hands idly on the arm rests.

The scouting portion of the mission was over, now it was the waiting part. Buttercup's favorite.

While the Green Puff had yet to fully master the virtue of patience, Bubbles was a self-certified black belt. In fact, she often looked forward to waiting. It gave her a time to reflect and think things over, something Blossom always nagged her to do. She nagged Buttercup too but the brunette rarely listened.

In a way, the three of them were the full spectrum. Blossom was one end with her tendency to over think things a little bit _too_ much and Buttercup was on the opposite end with her punch first, ask questions later mindset.

Right in the middle was where Bubbles would have put herself. She liked to think that she had just the right amount of thinking versus action but she could have been the _slightest_ bit bias.

Just a bit mind you.

Anyway, back to the reflection thingy. Yes, this presented the perfect opportunity to examine how she felt about the upcoming rendezvous. It was nerve wracking to be sure, but she also couldn't help but feel excited about it. Like the feeling she used to get on Halloween when she went to a haunted house with her sisters, but bigger.

A fully planned one on one or rather, three on three, meeting with the Rowdyruff Boys, and no threat of instant death lingering over their heads. According to her at least, her sisters would say otherwise but pooh on them.

The whole prospect filled her with a small bit of hope at all the possibilities that could come out of this. What would they say to each other? What would happen? What had changed about their long time enemies? This was a chance for them to talk, not run for their lives or fight. A chance to learn more about them!

There were so many questions circling around her mind and the answer was less than thirty minutes away!

Once again the butterflies swirled in her tummy. If everything went well today they could leave with more than just information too, they could leave with another potential enemy crossed off the list and she meant through negotiation, not destruction like Buttercup undoubtedly wanted. It would be a lot off of Blossom's mind, might even get her to relax a bit.

Said redhead was currently wearing a hole in the already rotting carpet with her pacing and chewing on her bottom lip like there was no tomorrow. By the oblivious look she on her face, Bubbles would guess that she was going over all her contingency plans and mentally double checking everything in case the worst happened. And by everything, she meant _everything._ That girl was so paranoid sometimes.

It wasn't really her fault in though, not in a situation like this. No matter what Bubbles herself believed, her sisters were right to be cautious. It wasn't just their safety that they were playing around with; the outcome of this meeting would change how the whole mission in Townsville was carried out. It could very well change the fate of the world.

Okay, maybe not so much that last part but definitely the mission part!

Talk about pressure. When she thought about it like that, Bubbles had to admit that if she were in Blossom's shoes, she would be pacing too. Good thing she was just a behind the scenes player and not the leader. Blossom could keep that position thank you very much and all the responsibilities that came with it.

Bubbles glanced over at Buttercup to see how she was doing and was mildly surprise to find that she appeared to be completely calm. Well…more like bored, but still it was almost the exact opposite of what she and Blossom were feeling at the moment.

Was she even nervous for the upcoming reunion at all? Knowing her middle sister, probably not. A more likely guess was that she was preparing herself mentally for a fight and let's be honest here; the likely hood of that happening was rather high.

The potential gains for this meeting were high, but the probability of them achieving anything more than saying hello without insults being thrown was _way_ low. Butch would probably start spouting off the moment his eyes caught Buttercup and she, of course, would fire right back. Those two had the worst grudge match Bubbles had ever seen. Ten years later and it was still going strong.

Yes, things would change dramatically from this meeting, no doubt about that, but would it be for better or for worse?

...

For the better she decided. She had to believe in that. If she didn't, then who would? Bubbles nodded softly to herself, probably looking a bit unwell in the head but it helped firm up her resolve. This meeting was going to go well, it was!

Beep!

The blonde jumped nearly four inches into the air as the sound shattered the anxious silence. It took a moment for Bubbles to recall that it was just the alarm set to chime from Blossom's watch.

Wait…the alarm? Did that mean? Bubbles looked at the Powerpuff's leader with excitement.

Blossom stopped her pacing and looked at her watch. A moment later she turned to address her sisters. "It's three o'clock." Was the only phrase she said and as if she uttered the magic words, multiple footsteps began echoing down the hallway.

Their hosts had arrived.

Bubbles felt her breath catch in her throat as she gazed at the closed door that separated them from the sound. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see her sisters doing the same. Slowly the muffled sound grew louder.

All three of them stood in silence as the footsteps carried past the door and began climbing the stairs towards the rooftop. The door to the roof creaked as it was pushed open by someone and then slammed back closed.

Slowly exhaling the breath she had been holding, Bubbles looked towards Blossom and saw her gazing at her watch. A half a minute later, the redhead nodded to her and Buttercup before cautiously opening the door into the hallway.

It was empty, no ambush or Simian troops waiting to fill them full of lead.

That was a good sign.

Carefully Blossom inched out into the hallway with Bubbles following right behind her and Buttercup bringing up the rear. With cat like grace, Blossom ascended the stairs towards the roof and halted right before the doorway. Inching it open just a hair, she crouched down and listened to the sounds beyond. Bubbles and Buttercup followed her lead and crouched down to wait too.

This was all part of Blossom's 'Make Sure We Aren't Walking to Our Death' plan. While letting the Boys get to the meeting place first gave them the upper hand so to speak, it would allow the girls' time to observe them. Time to listen for anything interesting they might have to say.

It also concreted the fact that Blossom wouldn't jump to heed Brick's commands. Bubbles thought it was a bit of a petty statement but this was technically politics and the pettier it was, the better. Besides, it really didn't take that long for the silence to break.

"They're not even here yet. Dammit Brick, I told you I could have slept in." Butch's unmistakable voice carried down the stairs.

"Exercise some patience for once in your life Butch, they'll be here." Ahead of her, Blossom seemed to freeze at the sound of Brick's dry tone.

At first Bubbles was confused but then she remembered that this was going to be the first time Blossom met her counterpart face to face in a decade. That had to be daunting prospect. At least when she met Boomer it had been unexpectedly, her mind hadn't plagued her with thoughts of how he had changed or what she would say when she met him. It just…happened. Blossom didn't have any of that benefit.

However, the redhead did seem to handle herself better than Bubbles would have given her situation. After a brief moment of what looked like alarm, Blossom took a deep silent breath and once again donned her game face. If this was bugging her, she wasn't about to let it show, especially not to Brick of all people.

The next five minutes passed by in relative silence, the only sounds from up above being that of footsteps echoing off the concrete.

It didn't seem like the Boys were much for chit chat did it? Whatever their problem was, this was getting really kinda boring. Feeling a bit antsy, Bubbles gently touched Blossom's shoulder and sent her a questioning look. Was it time to reveal themselves yet?

Nope, Blossom softly shook her head and Bubbles felt her hope die a little. Man, how long were they going to sit here like this?

She bit back a sigh. What was Blossom waiting for? If she didn't know any better, she would almost say Blossom wanted to find an excuse to put off this meeting. That was silly of course; Blossom always faced her problems head on. She wouldn't balk at something like this.

Would she?

The more Bubbles thought about it, the more she began to question Blossom's plan. Was she really doing all this 'intelligence gathering' out of caution or was there also a little bit of apprehension mixed in there as well? It was weird to think about her capable older sister being apprehensive about anything, but from what she had observed it seemed more than likely to be the case.

Seriously, the more she thought about it, the more she questioned whether this was the best way to go about things. Keeping the Boys waiting to see if they would reveal any evil plots or flaws in their character was all well and good but it also was probably pissing them off royally.

Now she might not have the leadership skills either of her sisters did, but Bubbles was _pretty_ sure that getting the other party in a foul mood wasn't such a great idea when they were about to conduct a meeting. Wouldn't it have been better to make sure everyone was in a good mood so they didn't start fighting the moment they laid eyes on each other? It made perfect sense to her.

Bubbles was broken out of her thoughts by another shout from Butch up above.

"Augh! For crying out loud! What the hell is keeping those damn Puffs! They probably stood us up! Those fucking brats! I knew this wasn't going to work. God dammit!"

"Shut up Butch, they'll be here."

"How do you know that Brick? How do you know that little green bitch even gave the bossy one your message? Huh?"

Bubbles heard a growl from behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Buttercup's lime green eyes narrowed into a glare. Oh boy, waiting was definitely _not_ a good idea if they wanted a civil conversation at all. They needed to get out there quick before Butch could unintentionally rile up Buttercup even more and she took matters into her own hands. The blonde Puff once again nudged her leader.

Blossom looked at her and bit her lip as she saw Bubbles imploring eyes and Buttercup's rising anger.

"I just know Butch, now sit your ass down and shut the hell up." The edge in Brick's otherwise deadpan voice seemed to crumble the last of Blossom's resistance. She slowly stood up and motioned her sisters to do the same.

The redhead took one last reassuring breath before she climbed up the last few steps and walked out onto the rooftop. Bubbles followed a moment later with Buttercup chomping at the bit behind her.

Coming to a stop a step behind her eldest sister, Bubbles froze…and it had nothing to do with the chilly north wind tugging at her jacket.

There, on the far edge of the roof, stood Brick, Butch, and Boomer. Oddly enough, her and her sisters had somehow mirrored their positions with Bubbles standing directly across from Boomer and her two sisters doing the same for their counterparts.

It almost reminded Bubbles of one of those old western showdowns. All that they needed was a tumble weed to roll by.

Normally a thought like that would have at least been deemed mildly smile worthy, but not right now. Not with the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. Every member on the roof was standing stock still as they stared at their counterparts, waiting for the first move.

Brick and Blossom were eyeing each other suspiciously, him with his arms tightly folded over his chest and a frown gracing his otherwise emotionless face and her with a hand nonchalantly placed on her hip. It was only by chance that that same hand was barely inches away from her trusty nightstick. Purely coincidental…_sure. _

The two of them studied one another the way a predator considered its prey before it dove down and gobbled it up. They were taking stock of the other person, calculating and cataloging every movement, every twitch. Both of them held every emotion tightly under control, showing only blank faces that barely hinted any sort of curiosity. Whoever cracked first, lost.

Butch and Buttercup had no such reservations however. The two of them were almost bristling with irritation, ready to snap at the drop of a hat. With fists clenched tightly at his sides, Butch was throwing his most loathing glare at her sister. Buttercup readily returned the glare with one of her own and a heavy frown thrown in to spice things up. Bubbles really hoped she remembered her promise and didn't deck Butch during the meeting, of course that would all depend on what kind of asinine comments he would make.

In contrast to her sisters' contest of wills with their counterparts, hers was rather…lackluster. In fact, she couldn't even really call it a contest in the first place. That would require some sort of participation from the second party.

Instead, Boomer just sat there on the roof edge and picked at the stray thread on his hoodie. He barely even glanced at her from under his beanie. The few glances of his deep blue eyes she did manage to catch weren't filled with anger or annoyance like she had expected. They actually looked like how she imagined her own eyes were, brimming with nervous energy.

This was it.

The meeting had finally come.

Always the proactive one, Blossom stepped up to the plate and broke the silence. "Okay Brick, we're here like you asked. Now what do you want?" Her tone was polite enough but Bubbles could sense the hidden steel lingering just below it and she was pretty sure everyone else did too.

The other redhead raised one of his eyebrows at the brusque greeting but otherwise kept his emotionless mask. It was decidedly not Brick like, back when they were kids this would be the point where he'd put on that obnoxious smirk that Blossom always hated and say something to rile her up.

But nope, he simply uncrossed his arms and stuck his hands in his pants pocket while he studied her. She could tell it put Blossom on edge by the way her stance tensed up.

After thirty seconds or so of drawing out the tension, Brick finally responded. "What? No pleasantries? No how are yous? Rather rude don't you think? We haven't seen each other in a while after all."

There was the smart ass Bubbles knew Blossom had been anticipating, not quite the same as it was when they were younger but aggravating all the same. Her eldest sister didn't rise to take the bait however, she was much better at that than Buttercup. She only stared at him with a soft frown on her lips.

"No answer? Well, that's not very polite." Brick said airily.

Blossom narrowed her eyes in response.

Brick shrugged it off and continued on with his ridiculously melodramatic greeting. "Why, maybe the only reason I invited you out here was because I wanted to meet my new neighbors is all. Isn't that the politically correct thing to do when someone new moves into the neighborhood? I suppose we should have brought a pie or something as well but, unfortunately we're running a bit short on sugar at the moment. Then again, you three have more than enough of that already don't you?" A shadow of what could have been a smile passed over his lips.

A brief flash of annoyance lit up her sister's jaded pink eyes. Blossom hated being strung along and Brick was capitalizing on that fact. The more he danced around the issue the more annoyed Blossom would get. This was turning out like fourth grade all over again. Next it would be spit balls wars between Butch and Buttercup, only without the high velocity wads of paper that would bruises on contact.

'Keep your cool Blossom, don't let him get to you.' Bubbles mentally pleaded with her sister.

"Cut the crap Brick. I didn't come here to listen to your lack witted sarcasm. Tell me what you want or this meeting is over." That steel that had been hidden in her voice before? Yeah, it wasn't hidden anymore.

Brick picked up on the irritation too because an oh so tiny smirk formed on his face. He was enjoying this a lot more than her poor sister was. It was especially disheartening for Bubbles to realize that it had taken all of a minute for Brick to get under her skin. That was probably was a new record.

This did not bode well for the rest of this more than likely short lived meeting.

"Alright, no need to get so uptight Bossy." Irritation once more colored Blossom expression at the reappearance of Brick's childhood nickname for her.

Why did he have to bring that up? He knew that was one of her triggers. He really wanted this meeting to fail didn't he? Because at the rate he was going, all he had to do was keep it up for a few more minutes and Blossom would blow her top and storm off. Then all that work of gaining trust and convincing them to come would go down the drain.

If they weren't even going to try and be nice, what was the point of asking the Girls to come out here in the first place? Bubbles felt a headache beginning to form at the base of her skull. This was not going how she had hoped.

"You want the truth? Fine, then I'll give it to you short and sweet. I'm here to offer you our aid in dethroning Mojo Jojo." Brick said unexpectedly.

Wait…_**what?**_

It took a few moments for Bubbles fully absorb the meaning of his casual words. Had she just heard that correctly? He couldn't have just said what she thought he said.

The blonde glanced over at her sisters and saw that they were in similar gob smacked states of shock as she was. In fact, Buttercup was so caught off guard that she had even broken off her death glare match with Butch to gape openly at Brick.

It was official, she wasn't hearing things. As bizarre as it was, Brick had actually just said he wanted to help them.

She would admit that she had been harboring some small, little hope that the Boys really had changed their evil ways and wouldn't want to be their enemies anymore…but to have Brick actually come out and offer an alliance? That was a thought that hadn't even entered her wildest dreams.

It hadn't entered any of their plans either. With all the strategies that Blossom had come up with, Bubbles thought they had prepared for every outcome, from booby traps to swarms of Simian troops. But this?

Nope, never even crossed their minds.

It was obvious by the growing smirk on Brick's face that he knew that too and was reveling in it. Not that that was really any surprise, he always got enjoyment from throwing them for a loop. He had done things like this all the time when they were younger just to see Blossom flip out. Something about seeing her unable to control a situation brought him instant amusement.

However, it appeared he was the only one amused by it. Butch's back stiffened the moment Brick had laid the offer on the proverbial table and if possible, his glare narrowed even further. If Bubbles were to guess, and really it wasn't that hard, Butch wanted no part of Brick's proposal.

Gee what a surprise there.

-_Oh God_, just the thought of trying to get Butch and Buttercup in the same room, working together…how would that ever work? The reality was, it wouldn't. There was no way in hell.

And Boomer…well actually, Boomer probably wouldn't be that bad.

"What?! You-you want to help us?" Blossom finally chocked out from Bubbles' side, breaking her mini trance like state. "You want to help us, the Powerpuff Girls, destroy Mojo Jojo?"

Brick's smirk lingered for a second more before he dropped it and resumed his taciturn demeanor once more. He gave the Puff leader a light nod. "That is correct."

"You've got to be joking." Blossom said dubiously after recovering some of her equilibrium. The suspicious glare she shot him would have been enough to make any man in his right mind nervous.

It didn't faze him at all, which only proved to Bubbles that he wasn't in his right mind for this meeting.

He brought his hands out of his pockets held them out in front of him in a placating gesture. "I assure you I'm not. My brothers and I have a score to settle with that overinflated chimpanzee. You want him dethroned for world peace; we want the same…if not for different reasons. With our assistance that goal will be much easier for you to achieve."

"Yeah, until you double cross us and give us to Mojo to hang! This is obviously a set up! You can't seriously believe we'd fall for something so stupid sounding did you?!" Buttercup could contain herself no longer and butted into the conversation, bristling with anger and suspicion.

Brick in turn, shifted his attention from his still recovering counterpart and looked at the fiery brunette in a thoroughly un-amused fashion. "This isn't a trap."

"And I'm the queen of France you lying bastard." Buttercup's sarcasm was in fine form today. Bubbles felt her hopes at a peaceful resolution steadily sinking even further.

The Ruff's leader narrowed his eyes in the first sign of anger she had seen out of him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me! All this garbage about offering us help, yeah right! That's straight up bullshit! You're just luring us into a false sense of security and then **BAM**! You'll spring the trap and have us all ready for Mojo to come along and grab!" Buttercup snarled out and jabbed a finger at him accusingly.

Buttercup's interruption signaled the end of whatever miraculous self-control Butch had been exercising since they arrived on the roof and he jumped in to the argument without any hesitation. "God! What's with this 'us working for Mojo' bullshit you keep spouting?! And why do you have to be such a bitch about everything? We aren't lying dammit!"

You know how they always say that forest fires start from just one tiny little ember? Yeah, Butch's comment was it.

Instantly, Buttercup's ire switched targets and she pinned Butch a glare that could have melted paint right off a car door. An almost tangible spark filled the air as their green eyes clashed. "And you're a grade A jackass! Of course you're lying! That's all you ever do!" Buttercup replied heatedly as she took a step forward.

Butch responded in kind. "Is not! Don't act like you fucking know us!"

"You're a super villain; I don't have to know you, it's in the job description!"

"And is being such a judgmental bitch in yours?!"

"I don't have a job thanks to your damn creator!"

"Oh, boo hoo! Go cry me a fucking river and then do me a favor and jump in it!"

"I'd rather drowned you in it instead shithead!" Buttercup spat out viciously as she took another few steps forward.

"Like you could! Those are pretty big words coming from such a scrawny skank like you!"

"Bite me!"

"Gladly!"

Both of them had stomped across the roof and were standing barely four feet away from each other. It looked like it would come to blows at any second. Bubbles felt a ball of panic broiling in her stomach as she frantically tried to come up with any way to calm the situation down.

Unfortunately that was rather hard to do with the yelling duo getting progressively louder and more violent! For the love of marshmallows! Why weren't Blossom and Brick trying to break this up?! Did everyone but her want this meeting to explode into violence?!

Normally, she wasn't one to swear but this was turning into a royal cluster fu-…fudgesicle. Oh, she was such a wimp. Even with an important meeting on the line she couldn't bring herself to be vulgar. It just wasn't her.

She supposed that was alright, seeing as how Buttercup was filling that slot up with gusto at the moment.

"-Says the guy whose only one letter away from being named Bitch!"

Butch cocked back a brass knuckle encrusted fist. "I aughta knock your fucking teeth in for that!"

"I'd like to see you try, you dick!"

"Don't tempt me you filthy whore!"

"Bring it on mother fucker!"

"BUTTERCUP! Enough!" Blossom's command snapped through the air like lightning and Buttercup froze in the middle of rearing back to sock Butch across the face.

Finally! What had taken her so long!

Her inflamed sister glance back at Blossom and received an even stare that eventually made her lower her fist to her side. It didn't stop her from turning back towards Butch and attempt to drill a hole through his skull with the heat of her glare alone though. Bubbles could live with that, as long as there wasn't any physical violence there might still be hope to salvage this reunion.

"Stand down Butch." Brick said evenly as he stepped up beside his furious brother. The brunette took one look at Brick's no-nonsense face and did as his leader command, muttering a few words under his breath as he did so. Only Buttercup was close enough to hear what he said but by the way she growled Bubbles was pretty sure her virgin ears were better off not knowing.

Blossom matched Brick's movements and stepped forward next to Buttercup to lay a hand down on her shoulder. It was a smart move on Blossom's part, a way to remind Buttercup of where she was and what she was doing but also a way to rein her in if her bloodthirsty impulses took over.

Good!

Now all Blossom would have to do was say one of her brilliant little speeches and calm everybody down. Bubbles had seen her do it several times before when dealing with unruly members of the Resistance, how much harder could it be for the Rowdyruffs?

Blossom took a second to let the tension ease before looking towards Brick.

Here it comes.

"Buttercup's right. You are super villains, why should we trust a thing you have to say?"

That… wasn't quite what Bubbles had been hoping for.

"For all we know, you're in league with Mojo right now and are trying to lure us into a trap. This could all be one big charade like Buttercup said." Blossom continued with her steely voice.

Okay, rephrase, this wasn't at all what Bubbles had been hoping for. What was she doing?! Instead of calming things down, Blossom was only going to rile things up even more!

Brick gritted his teeth at her sister's insinuation but surprisingly kept his calm. "Alright Pinkie, answer me this. Would a super villain destroy their own partner's outposts?"

Correction, kept most of his calm. The bite at the end of his words showed just how precariously close to the edge of his self-control he was.

"If it suited their plans, within a heartbeat I'm sure." Blossom fired right back without a hint of hesitation.

A thundercloud started brewing on Brick's face as he gave her a dead look. "That wasn't a question."

"Really? It sounded like one to me." The positions had been officially reversed. Blossom was now the one poking at the hive while Brick struggled to keep her from irritating him further.

"It was a segue and you know it. I was referring to the attack that allowed you to commence your silly little raid on Mojo's supply outpost based on Akard Street." He growled out, obviously struggling to contain his rising anger. Blossom was about to reply but Bubbles beat her to the punch.

"How'd you know about that?' She blurted out before she could stop herself.

For the first time Brick turned his eyes towards her and Bubbles found herself vaguely uncomfortable as she was caught in his gaze. It was nothing like looking into her sisters uniquely colored eyes. There was no warmth or welcoming in those blood red pools, just a solemn dead look that sent a chill down her spine.

Not like Blossom's eyes at all.

"I know many things." Brick said to her. "I've had seven years to study this city, to learn its secrets. Nothing is hidden from me. Patrol routes? Outpost and base locations? The main administrators in Mojo's ruling cabinet? It's all right here." He brought up a hand and lightly tapped at his temple.

He turned back towards Blossom. "My knowledge of the city and the Divide combined with the resources you already have at your disposal could prove to be the edge you need to win this war once and for all and you know it. If we teamed up…" The effort of muttering out those two words caused a pained grimace to appear on his face.

"We could, in all probability, have the so called emperor out of power by the spring. After that, you and your sisters could on your merry way while I and my brothers do the same." He finished with hands wide spread; it was an uncharacteristically imploring gesture from the prideful young man. It had a slight mocking tint to it, but really…what else could you expect from the likes of Brick.

That gesture alone would have been enough to almost convince Bubbles of his sincerity, but add on what he had already said and what he was offering and Bubbles felt sure: Brick really was serious about aiding them in their fight against Mojo. Something inside told her that he was telling the truth.

The question was, did Blossom see it that way? And if she did, would she be willing to accept the offer or would she continue to resist it?

"What makes you think we have resources at our disposal?" The pink eyed general evaded the decision by posing a question of her own.

"Please Bossy, don't insult my intelligence. Those explosions didn't happen on their own. You're being supplied with materials from somewhere by someone." Brick replied as their gaze locked.

"We've caused explosions before." She continued to dance around the obvious issue.

What Bubbles couldn't understand was, why? This meeting was barely hanging on by a thread as it was, any more delay could send the whole get-together into a spiraling pit of violence and destruction courtesy of Butch and Buttercup. The two were staring each other down like wolves about pounce. The sooner Blossom gave her answer the sooner the tension would ease down…hopefully

"When you had powers sure, but we both know that was long time ago." Blossom couldn't stop the grimace forming on her face as Brick brought up that sore point. "There's someone backing you, passing you resources and equipment. That gives you the proper tools to fight but you lack the information to use it properly. Without my knowledge you'll be firing blindly, hoping that you manage to hit something of importance...and you'll have no guarantee if you do. "

Bubbles watched her sister grit her teeth from the corner of her eye. Brick's words were definitely striking a nerve. Bubbles didn't know much of it was true but by the way Blossom was reacting it was probably hitting a little too close to home for her comfort.

The Ruff leader took a small step closer towards her sister and lowered his voice. "We both want the same thing. The wisest course of action for you would be to accept my generous proposal. "

Blossom bit lightly down on her lip as she looked down at the concrete, mentally weighing the pros and cons. Brick let her take her time as he stood there, keeping his eyes glued to her. Buttercup on the other hand…

"So you _might_ have blown up a dinky little outpost! Who the fuck cares! You're all still backstabbing villains. The only thing you've ever wanted from us is to be six feet underground!" She shouted. "And I still don't see why we should even think about trusting you in the first place! You only started all that saving us crap after you found out about our return to Townsville. Sounds like one great ploy to get on our good side to me!"

Breakdown of communication imminent...things were just starting to turn around too. Ugh! This was so frustrating! Why was it so hard for them to all have a civil conversation?! She felt a bit like tearing up as the disappointment sunk in.

The mental counter in her head ticked down. 'Three…Two…On-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Seriously?!" Butch, like clockwork, hollered back indignantly. And just like that, the challenge had been thrown and round two started.

He jabbed a finger at her sister, well within the bounds of her personal space. Bubbles could already tell that this was going to get ugly.

"What the hell do you mean we _might_ have blown up an outpost? We fucking did! I ran five miles with that damn Collector on my ass and you saw it! So don't you dare tell me what I did and didn't do! If it wasn't for us, your sorry ass would be a skish kabob right now! And so would those little shrimps you were packing around too! Don't even try to deny it!"

Buttercup growled low in her throat and looked like she wanted nothing more than to ram her fists right into Butch's face. Every second that passed brought Buttercup one step closer to blowing up.

"Maybe, but how do we know you're telling us the truth?" Blossom interjected into the fight before her brunette sister could launch a retort. "If you were working for Mojo then you could have just called off the Collector the moment you got far enough away from them." She shot him a cold stare, but of course Butch was too fired up to heed it.

"What a load of bullshit!" He threw out his hands, fuming. "Read my lips Pinkie! We're not working for that god damn monkey!"

Things had progressed to the point where Blossom was fingering her night stick again. Buttercup looked ready to go at it with only her metal backed fists, the knives on her coat seemingly forgot in her rage.

And as for herself?

Bubbles frantically looked back and forth between the four assemble parties and tried to think of something, ANYTHING, to stop World War Four from exploding on the rooftop. The bad thing about that was that it wasn't her forte _at all_! Blossom was always the negotiator! She was basically just the cheerleader of the group! What could she possibly do to calm down something like this?!

Nothing! That's what!

Her sisters were in full combat mode, glaring fiercely at an enraged Butch and his silent brother. Bubbles could definitely tell that Brick was reaching the breaking point. There was a deep fire blazing in those red eyes of his, lighting up the once dead space.

"We would never work for that piece of scum, _never_." Brick's eerily calm voice was extremely out of place in the torrent of heated arguments.

"Says you." Buttercup growled back.

"God bitch! Do you ever shut your god damn trap?!" Butch advanced towards her sister and Bubbles squeezed her eye shut tight, sure that this was the beginning of the end.

"Do you ever say anything remotely intelligent dumbass?!" Bubbles heard her sister's reply as she covered her face with her hands. Oh, here it comes.

"Butch!" The command shot out across the rooftop like a bullet. A small scuffling sound caught Bubbles ears and then…

Silence.

Oh sweet jellybeans, what had just happened?!

Slowly she spread her fingers and peeked out from behind them. Surprisingly enough, there wasn't any blood coating the rooftop yet, _Yet_ being the key word. The scuffle sound she had heard was a result of Brick catching Butch's arm right in the middle of him launching a left hook at Buttercup's head.

Blossom was doing the same with Buttercup, barely managing to keep her contained as she struggled to free herself and lay the smack down on her counterpart. Something had to happen fast, Bubbles knew her older sister wasn't a match against Buttercup's strength for long.

Oh think, think, think!

Even with all this pressure…she still came up blank.

As Bubbles was mentally tearing out her hair in frustration at her inability to do anything, Brick shoved Butch behind him and pinned Blossom with a savage glare.

"You have my offer, take it or get the hell out of here." He bit out with a sneer on his lips.

With the sight of her prey partially hidden, Blossom was able to pull Buttercup back from her attempts at mauling Butch bare handed. She considered Brick's ultimatum silently, one hand on Buttercup's arm and the other resting on her nightstick.

Bubbles watched the standoff with bated breath; even the wind seemed to die down as everyone awaited the Pink Puff's response. Under all that scrutiny, Blossom simply stood there and stared at Brick while she thought.

Every second that passed by in silence was one more anxiety filled moment that Bubbles had to endure. She was certain that she was going to have a panic attack soon if this continued any longer. It was a miracle that she hadn't had one already.

What would her sister say? Would she agree? Would she disagree? Bubbles had no clue! Whenever she had spoken to Blossom about the Boys, she had always been on the fence. She honestly had no idea what would come out of her leader's mouth…and that only made her more nervous.

After what seemed like an eternity for the fretful blonde, her redheaded sister finally spoke up.

And it was not the answer she had been expecting.

"What did he do to you?" Blossom asked in a quiet voice.

It wasn't an answer at all! Why did she keep on doing this?!

Brick's eyes narrowed to the point where they almost appeared closed and his fists shook in barely suppressed rage. "Leave." He said in a deadly quiet voice, behind him Butch looked ready to spit nails.

Bubbles felt her insides sink as the realization that this meeting had completely fell through hit her head on. That was it then.

It was over.

And the only thing they had accomplished was gaining another enemy. This time tears really did start to well up in her baby blue eyes as she struggled not to let her emotions completely take over.

"Not until you give me an answer. If you aren't working for Mojo then there must be a reason. I want to know what that is."Blossom said, holding her ground against the twin set of glares being thrown in her direction.

"I don't care what you want, I told you to get lost. This meeting's over." With that Brick gave her one last glare before turning away and walking back towards Boomer, who still sat on the roof edge observing the drama play out before him with a blank face.

"No." Brick froze mid step and frowned over his shoulder at her stubborn sister. Was Blossom trying to get herself pummeled? If so, she was doing a really good job at getting there.

"Blossom…" Bubbles pleaded softly but Blossom ignored her and kept her eyes on Brick's half hidden face.

"Are you deaf as well as dumb? Brick said get the hell outta here, so **GO**!" Butch snarled and gestured angrily towards the door.

"I want an explanation." Blossom replied evenly, not even glancing in his direction.

"Well too fucking bad! We gave you an offer and you spit on it! Fucking leave already!"

Butch had once again taken up his aggressive stance and looked ready to start throwing them out himself if they didn't heed his warnings. That would make Buttercup's day, she was already gripping one of her knives and eyeing Butch like a he was a Thanksgiving Day turkey ready for slaughter.

"I knew it!"

The Green Ruff looked at his counterpart. "What the hell are you on about woman?"

"You don't want to explain yourselves because you're obviously hiding something! This proves it! You're spies!" Buttercup smirked victoriously.

"**WE'RE NOT SPIES!**" Butch's face was starting to turn a dangerous shade of red as he leaned in close.

"Then tell us what you're hiding!" Buttercup failed to match his thunderous volume but she came close.

"No way in hell!"

"Cause you're a spy!"

"You dumb bitch!" There were barely a foot apart and unlike last time, Blossom didn't look like she'd be interfering this time.

Bubbles hesitantly took a step towards the group. She wasn't entirely sure what she would do if it came to blows but she had to do something!

If a fight broke out now…

"_Fine!_" Brick interrupted the Greens shouting match with a yell of his own. He had passed the boiling point and didn't even seem to care anymore. He pointed towards Blossom. "You want to know why I hate that damn monkey? It's becau-"

"**NO!**" Butch swatted Brick's hand down. "We don't need to bow down to their demands like some shitty servants! They have no god damn right to accuse us of anything, this is the first time they've seen us in ten fucking years for crying out loud!"

"Which is exactly why we can't trust you! Who knows what could have happened in that time span!" And there went Blossom's cool…then the rooftop erupted with raised voices.

Bubbles clenched her eyes shut and tried to block out all the yelling. Each furious word chipped away at her brittle hopes and it made her come to a realization…this never could have worked out. Plain and simple.

Who was she trying to kid? The Powerpuffs Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys were total opposites, chemically as well as naturally. There was no way they could band together and work peaceably. It was a disaster in the making and thanks to this meeting; she realized just how naïve she had been to think otherwise.

This was why Blossom was the leader. She had probably known all along, Buttercup certainly had. Oh, she should have listened to them both…maybe then her hopes wouldn't feel so crushed.

Maybe she wouldn't feel so…heartbroken.

"For the fourth time! We've told you what we've been doing! Fighting Mojo! But you won't fucking believe us!" Brick's voice broke through her self-seclusion and caused her to open her eyes, bringing her sharply back to the present.

The situation hadn't devolved into a brawl yet but by the way Butch and Buttercup were hurling insults at each other, it was imminent. Brick and Blossom paid those two no notice as they were involved in their own microcosm, arguing about same thing they had been arguing about since this horrible meeting started.

"If you're not even going to try to activate the incredibly small amount of neurons that reside in that thick skull of yours and THINK past your absurd preconceived notions, then this meeting's done. Get the hell out of here!" Brick finished his volley with furious yell and pointed straight at the roof door.

Bubbles knew that the one thing that Blossom couldn't stand was an insult to her intelligence. The pink eyed Puff grew as red as that old cap on Brick's head and balled her hands up, looking for all the world like she was about to give him a black eye.

"Fine! We will!" Blossom shouted, turning on her heel and smacking Brick upside the face with her ponytail. The Ruff looked at her retreating back with murderous intent, barely able to restrain his fists to his sides.

"I don't know why I even thought that this would turn out as anything but a disaster!" She spit out venomously over her shoulder. "GIRLS! We're going!"

"About damn time! I hope the door smacks your ass hard on the way out!" Buttercup growled at Butch's 'fond farewell' but she showed surprising self-control and turned around after Blossom without punching his lights out.

"Fuck you." That didn't stop her from insulting him of course, or spitting at his feet.

"Fuck you!" Butch responded in kind with a sneer on his face.

"Shut up Butch. The more you insult them, the longer it will take for those stuck up bitches to leave." The brunette snorted but complied with Brick's command and turned away from the departing women with a shake of his head.

"I knew this wouldn't work, what a fucking waste of time." He muttered angrily to himself but still loud enough for Bubbles to hear.

She stood frozen on the rooftop as Blossom passed by with Buttercup, the cold rage frozen in her sister's eyes sent a chill up her spine. She had seen Blossom angry, but not like this. Never like this.

"Come on Bubbles." She said as she approached the door.

The blonde hesitated a few seconds before giving in. Her shoulders slumped with dismay as she turned to hurry after her sisters.

What a complete and utter failure...

It was barely out of the corner of her eye that she caught movement from behind. Without thinking, she spun back around and blinked in surprise.

"Boomer?" She questioned softly.

The young man had finally moved, rising from his seat while his brothers were arguing amongst themselves and walking towards the Blue Puff. He came to a stop barely two feet away and raised his eyes to look into hers. Once again Bubbles found herself lost in an ocean of blues as their gazes locked.

He opened his mouth timidly and all activity on the roof ceased as he spoke in an unpredictably gentle voice. If Bubbles hadn't already been frozen in place, she would have fallen to the floor in astonishment.

"It's our fault that none of us have powers anymore."

* * *

**A/N: Oh Snap! ...Soooo, what'd you all think? Good? Bad? Hard to follow? I have to admit, having a conversation/argument between four different people at the same time was _hard._ And then throwing in Bubbles introspection into it all, I just hope it wasn't too confusing for you guys. Anyways, so yes! Boomer reveals that the Rowdyruffs are the reason nobody has powers any more! How can that be you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out! :D**

**Reviewer Recognition:**

**Scourge: Lol, very nice impression. I approve! Hope you liked the start of the meeting! No foot shooting for Butch but he and Buttercup did have quite a few rows, hope that tides you over. :D Thanks for the review!**

**The Cynic: Oh he'll have to find out eventually, you can be sure. But when is the question :D Hope this chapter live up to your expectations! Thanks for the review!**

**Silent Reader: I was wondering where you went! Glad you came back and left a review, it makes me happy! :D Hope this chapter was as cool as you were hoping it would be! Thanks for the review and your continued support!**

**Lily975: Thank you so much Lily! You're so nice! Giving me compliments and always reviewing my chapters! Thanks a whole _bunch!_ **

**Thanks for the Favorite tweetybird99 and the Follow Cookies-For-Cats22! You guys rocks!**

**Next Chapter: Boomer's got some 'splaining to do! And then what happens after that? ****Tune in this SATURDAY for the exciting conclusion to the meeting and find out! **

**Thanks everyone for your continued support! You're all awesome! I really hope this chapter lived up to your expectations, so let me know! Have a good week!**


	28. Chapter 28 – So, Now You Know

**A/N: Part two! Dun dun dun!**

Chapter 28 – So, Now You Know

"Wh-what?" Bubbles managed to stutter out after a moment.

Boomer's eyes drift down towards his scuffed up shoes as he nervously cleared his throat. "It's…it's our fault that none of us have powers anymore." He waved vaguely towards himself and his brothers.

Oh this was nerve wracking. Why was he even doing this?

This little get together was already _way_ past saving. It had started off badly and rolled downhill from there within seconds. The combined egos of Brick, Butch, and their counterparts gathered together in one place was like tossing a match into a barrel of fireworks.

It had blown up in a spectacular fashion.

There was no way it could have proceeded peacefully. That had been thoroughly proven this afternoon, he had liked to think of himself wise for staying out of the increasingly explosive argument…but now he was doing this.

What was he even thinking? Like trying to appeal to Bubbles would do anything. She saw him the same as her sisters saw his brothers, a remnant of evil that would do anything in its power to crush out good. He could tell by the look in their eyes, well…in her sisters eyes at least. Bubbles was so shocked by his admission that she could only sit there and gape at him.

Augh, this was stupid, it wouldn't work. Why even bother? It's not like anything he said would change their minds.

...And yet...

Even with all these doubts flying through his mind, Boomer still somehow found himself face to face with his counterpart, trying to make her and her sisters stay. Something inside him wanted them to, needed them to.

"Boomer! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

And he would be a lot more successful at it, if his brother ever learned to keep his gigantic mouth shut.

Boomer resisted the urge to sigh and shoved his irritation at Butch to the back of his mind. He couldn't afford to lose his focus now; if he did he probably wouldn't be able to summon up the courage to try again. Or he would just start stuttering over himself and look like a royal idiot in front of all present. Neither of those options were overly appealing.

He heard a soft exclamation of 'ow' from behind him but that too was shoved to the back of his mind. Instead he forced himself to quit considering the dirt caking his sneakers and brought his eyes up again, locking gazes with his female counterpart. Ocean blue met sky blue, and though he'd never admit it out loud, his insides squirmed at the eye contact.

It wasn't like Butch or Brick's glares that were so often directed at him, there was something more to it, something deeper. It was like her brilliant blue orbs were digging into his brain searching for his secrets, trying to find the catch to his claims. It made Boomer feel utterly exposed and he didn't like it one bit, but he held his ground and forced himself to keep looking. He had to show her he meant what he said, that he was being honest.

He had to have a backbone for once in his life and by golly now was the time.

Although…If he focused his vision _just_ right, he could catch sight of Bubbles sisters over her shoulder in his peripheral vision. They weren't moving, which was a good sign. By the gob smacked expression both were sporting, Boomer felt it safe to say that none of the Girls had ever found out how they had lost their powers and were stunned by the fact that he knew.

Perfect. Then maybe what he was going to say would do something. What exactly…he wasn't sure, but it was a sight better than just letting them walk off believing they were enemies again.

That is, if he actually got around to saying what it was he meant to say. He was surprised he had made it this far without being interrupted. It was peculiar that Butch hadn't yanked him back by his collar and started ranting at him already. It wasn't something he was going to question though, if his hopes held true and the Green Ruff kept his mouth shut then he might actually get through this. If her sisters didn't stop him first that was.

That was a whole lot of ifs.

"Why would you say something like that?" Boomer blinked his wandering thoughts away and once more focused on his female counterpart. She seemed to have recovered from her shock quicker than either of her sisters. She stood there and watched him patiently as she waited for his reply, without any anger or suspicion clouding her eyes.

It was surprising actually; he had expected at least a little hostility from her. Not that he was complaining mind you, it did make the constriction seizing his chest loosen a little bit. Hopefully that feeling would continue long enough to allow him to push through his fears and doubts and say what needed to be said.

And boy did it need to be said.

Not just for the Girls, but for him and his brothers as well. It was time to finally right ten years of wrong, to get this guilt off his chest. It was odd of thinking that he felt guilty for something, but it was true. Boomer took a deep breath and braced himself. Stars above preserve him.

Here went nothing.

"I'm saying that…be-because it's true. It happened ten years ago…right before Mojo took over Townsville."

**:::FLASHBACK:::**

"HEADSHOT! ...HEADSHOT!...HEADSHOT!" The loud speakers announced throughout the living room at a deafening volume.

Two rather small ten year old boys were situated on a plush leather couch in front of a humongous tv. The blonde boy of the two slammed his control down on the couch and frowned, more like pouted, at the flashing text that declared him defeated.

"Grrr! Stop it already Butch!" He cried indignantly and glared at his brother, who was lounging next to him.

"What?" The green clad boy held his hands up innocently. The sly grin on his face however clearly showed he knew exactly what Boomer was mad about.

"You know what! Stop it!" Boomer hollered as he stood up on the couch cushions and pointed down at him.

Boy he was mad! This always happened! Butch never let him get more than two steps before shooting him dead! The little blonde boy didn't know how exactly his jerky pants brother did it but it wasn't fair! He was going to make him stop this time!

"Jeez! Chill out crybaby. I can't help it that I'm the most awesomest, amazingest, all around greatest player of video games that ever walked the earth. You really set the bar to high for yourself by challenging me you know. Maybe you should switch to racing games…oh wait, I forgot…you suck at those too!" He finished, bursting into mean laughter as Boomer glared at him.

Now he was starting to get really mad! If Butch hadn't been invon-, invulnar-, …immune to eye lasers, boy would he let him have it. Too bad he was, it left him no choice then. Time to call out the big guns!

"BRICK!"

Butch's chuckles stopped instantly and he leveled at glare at Boomer so fierce it was a wonder _he_ wasn't shot by eye lasers. "..low blow crybaby.." The green clad boy growled as steps worked their way into the room.

Both occupants turned and found their redheaded leader glaring at them with a book in his hand. Boomer still found it weird that Brick actually _liked_ to read. Voluntarily spending hours looking at a bunch of boring words on a page? Seriously, it was weird.

"What is it now Boomer?" Brick asked in a resigned tone of voice.

The blonde once again pointed viciously at Butch. "He keeps cheating! Make him stop!"

"Do not! You just suck! Admit it!" The Green Ruff yelled back indignantly.

"No I don't!" Boomer turned to face Butch on the couch with clenched fists and a grumpy frown.

He dimly realized he was still standing on top of the leather cushions and Mojo wouldn't be too happy about the foot prints he left behind, but who cared at a time like this!? There was an important situation going on!

"Do too!" Butch rose to match his younger brother, standing to his feet also. It was too bad that the two of them stood at roughly the same height, Boomer would have taken any advantage he could get.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do NOT!"

"DO TOO!"

"**DO NOT!**"

"**DO TO-**'

"Both of you! Shut your traps!" The two brothers halted mid shout and turned as one to look at their leader.

Brick had his arms folded tightly over his chest and was giving them his best glare, the one he normally reserved for that do gooder Blossom Utonium.

"Boomer, you suck at games…deal with it. Butch, stop bullying Boomer or I'll toss that tv out the window. Now both of you shut up and stop bugging me." With that, the Ruff leader sent them one last glare and turned to leave the room. That was, until their esteemed mother- ehem…father figure entered.

"What in the name of all that is scientifically probable in the known universes, galaxies, and cosmos is going on in here?!" The chimp screeched at the three of them.

By the nicely pressed white apron the monkey was wearing, Boomer guessed he had either been baking something or in his lab. Why he didn't wear a lab coat like those cool scientisty people on the tv did, the little blond boy had no clue. It made him look way _girly_ though.

"Butch an' Boomer were being idiots again." Brick responded nonchalantly.

The monkey directed his black and beady gaze at the two ruffians who were still standing face to face on the couch. "_Boys_…"

Oh great, there was that tone in his voice again. That only meant one thing.

"How many times do I have to tell you, do I have to reiterate these exact words so that they will sink in through those enormously thick walled craniums of yours that there will be no standing on my CUSTOM DESIGNED BRIARWOOD LEATHER SECTIONAL SOFA?!"

A _lecture_.

With twin sighs of annoyance, the two brothers floated upwards and over the sofa back to land on the other side before their surrogate father. He gave them one last glare before assuming the perfect lecturing pose as Brick liked to call it.

Eyes close, head tilted just slightly up, arms folded neatly behind his back as he paced back and forth. Boomer supposed it did make him look a bit more aurthur- authorivv- …a bit more in control, but he still didn't really get it.

The little blonde boy heaved out a quiet sigh of resignation and settled in for what was likely to be a long lecture on the value of leather working and its proper care. It was boring and pretty much useless as both him and Butch would forget it all by tomorrow, heck more like the next ten minutes. So Boomer did what he usually did in situations like these, let his mind wander.

Man, you'd think for a super villain Mojo would be cooler. Even after five years of living with him Boomer was still disappointed by how…_common_ he was. Sure there were laser guns and death rays all over the house, that was cool, but there were also decorating magazines and cooking stuff and all other kinds of girly garbage.

…Okay, he'd admit it…Mojo did make some really good cookies but still! It was _girly_! Yech!

"And further more! There shall be no more of these arguments, these quarrels, these squabbles while your chores remain left to be done!"

Boomer blinked back into reality at the sound of chores and looked over towards Butch to see him scowl.

"Ah man! Are you kidding me?! Chores? We're freakin' super villains for crying out loud! Why can't we just kidnap a maid or something and make her do all that stupid stuff?" The Green Ruff argued.

Mojo stopped his pacing and turned towards the affronted boy. "We shall not do this, repeat there will be no kidnapping of housekeepers or maids. _You_ are to do the chores I have listed and assigned for you. I have given them for a reason and they shall be carried out with most haste!" The monkey smacked a fist down onto his hand to emphasize his point.

"Why?! That's stupid!" Butch retaliated.

"It builds character, responsibility, self-respect, self-reliance, a fulfilled feeling of a job well done. It is vital for your period of growth, that is to say, the period in which you are growing, to do such things as these to set you on the pathway to becoming a self-sufficient adult in today's modern society." Mojo pointed one gloved finger straight into Butch's face.

Boomer shuffled a few steps to the side, wary of the violence that could at any moment break out. Butch didn't like it when people broke his personal space, even though he had no problems doing it to others.

"Besides! You do not even know the chores that I have assigned for you! There are a specific number of chores that I have assembled for you and your brothers to be carried out on this day. They will be to your liking, I assure you." The end of Mojo's argument caused Butch to halt mid comeback.

He gave the super intelligent primate a steely glare as he considered his words. "What do you mean I'll like 'em?" He said after a moment of thought.

Mojo straightened his posture and turned to walk a few paces away from them. Brick joined his two brothers in front of the couch and looked at Mojo suspiciously with his arms crossed over his chest.

Boomer tried to emulate his brothers demanding glares and stances, crossing his arms over his chest too and putting a frown on his face. It looked more like a pout, but no matter how he tried he could never frown properly.

Butch had told him so, many times. He always said there was a big difference between a pout and a frown but Boomer never got what it was. All of the frowns Butch always worn looked like pouts to him. Not that he'd ever say that out loud, that was just begging for a beating.

"Yes, you will like the chore I have laid out for you, for it requires you to participate in your most favorite, most beloved of pastimes. "

"The Powerpuff Girls." Brick interjected.

Mojo turned back towards them with a wicked smile and creepy twinkle in his eyes. "Yes, my adopted sons. The Powerpuff Girls. Those cursed Girls and their do gooding nature have fouled up my most greatest of plans far too many times!"

He glared at his fist as he clenched it tight. He was going into one of those weird monology things that he always did. It was almost as boring as a lecture. Boomer was about to tune out again but a stern glance from Brick made him change his mind.

He huffed to himself and directed his floundering attention back to his creator as best he could.

"It is time, once and for all, for those annoying brats to receive their just rewards for all the hardships, the difficulties, the trials, the utter _humiliation_ they have put me through! They shall rue the day they chose me, Mojo Jojo, as their adversary!"

"We get it already! Get on with it!" Butch butted into Mojo's monologue and received a glare for his troubles. That, of course, only made him smirk.

Their monkey caretaker gave them an un-amused look. "You shall find the Powerpuff Girls and engage them in one to one combat." He stated simply, for once not dragging it out with all of his long winded words.

"But you always get mad at us when we get back cuz we can't beat 'em." Boomer piped up. A moment later, Butch leaned over and popped in him the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for!?"

The Green Ruff glared at him with a pou-_frown_ and reared back a fist to pop him again. "Cuz you said something stupid! Whadda mean we can't beat 'em? Of course we can beat those stupid, crybaby, goodie little two shoes!"

Boomer rubbed at his arm. "But we never do. You always complain about how the green one keeps dodging all your punches."

Butch grimaced and lowered his fist. "Yeah, well this time will be different. Just you watch! This time I'll slam that Buttercup so hard into the ground that she'll see stars!" A determined glint reflected off his eyes as he pumped his arms.

Boomer released his sore arm and thought about fighting the girls again. It had been a really long time since they had fought with their counterparts. What, three…four months? Something like that. And that fight only broke out because Butch and Buttercup got into an argument about coolness of The Infraggable Krunk versus Val Hallen.

Other than that, they actually hadn't fought the girls very much for any evil plans recently. That kinda stuff had stopped happening around two years ago. It was pretty obvious that no matter how hard they tried, the Girls and Boys always fought to a stalemate. What was the point in evil plans if you were just going to end up in a draw?

That didn't mean that fighting them was done and over with. It was still really fun to do, they were the only people who could offer any sort of challenge for the Boys, but that was about it.

Why, the last time he had fought Bubbles he had punched her down in to a park. He was flying down after her to go punch her again but **_then!_** Then he saw this really cool looking bug, so he went to inves- investige – to go check it out.

Somehow it ended up with him and Bubbles running around the park look at all the cool bugs and animals while their siblings duked it out in the sky. Boy, had he gotten an earful from Brick when they got home that day, but…it had been fun. He never knew Bubbles could talk to squirrels, it was pretty cool. Not that talking to squirrels was cool, squirrels were pretty lame, but the whole talking to animals power? Man that would be a cool power to have.

"Wait a minute…why _should_ we go fight them? As much as it shocks me to say this, Boomer's got a point. It's always a stalemate when we fight those silly Girls and that always pisses you off. Why would this time be any different?" Brick's said suspiciously, causing Boomer to zone back into the conversation.

That creepy twinkled glinted in Mojo's eye again as he addressed them. "I knew that one of your budding intellect would ask such a question as this my dear boy. Yes, there is an ulterior motive that is behind the reasoning of my request for you Boys to go fight. A hidden agenda, a secret plan layered under the obvious answer for which you have seen beneath! A clandestine reason for which you are to-"

"Get on it with!" Butch hollered.

Mojo shut his mouth with a click and glared at the three of them. It always irritated him when they ruined his 'moment', which was why they did it so much.

Hehe, Mojo was kinda funny looking when he turned purple with anger. It was sorta gross, but sorta cool at the same time.

"Fine, if you must interrupt my most eloquent of speeches that I shall simplify the terms in which I use to convey my motives and orders to you in an abridged fashion. "

He regained his 'in control' stance again and looked at them with a devious smirk. "I have finally come up with the perfect plan to rid myself of those Powerpuff Grils and take my place as the destined ruler of all Townsville!" He exclaimed with a pride, raising a single fist up towards the ceiling.

It reminded Boomer of all those poses the heroes in his comic books did. On Mojo it didn't look nearly as cool.

A moment of silence held after Mojo's grand announcement…and then the laughter started. Butch bent over and slapped his hands on his thighs as he laughed long and hard. Brick was bit tamer with his amusement, but he did chuckle none the less.

With the other two finding this so funny, Boomer didn't want to be left out. So he plastered a grin on his face and laughed along too…although he wasn't sure what was so funny. Maybe the pose?

"You?! Defeat the Girls? Perfect plan? Hahaha!" Butch struggled to say as he pointed at Mojo. "Yeah, like we haven't heard that one before."

Ohh…it was the thought of Mojo ever beating the Girls…actually when he thought about it, it was pretty funny. That would never happen. Boomer started laughing for real as he finally clued in.

Brick nodded beside him and stopped his chuckling. "He's right, you've said that line over a thousand times and still you always fail. Face it Mojo, you're never going to beat those Puffs."

The monkey growled at the three of them. "ENOUGH OF YOUR INSOLENCE! You shall cease this mockery! I have failed many times in the past yes, but **THIS**, this time there shall be a different outcome! You shall see! By the end of this month on this calendar year I, Mojo Jojo, shall have control of Townsville!"

The laughter doubled and that only served to anger him further. "Stop your mirth this instant and do as you are told! Go distract those Girls! _**NOW!**_"

Wow, Mojo was really mad at them. He was already starting to turn that weird purplish color. Brick calmed down and lightly smacked Butch on the arm to get his attention. He nodded towards the open window in the living room and then gave Mojo a sarcastic salute. "As you wish oh great ruler of Townsville."

Brick floated up off the floor and flew outside with Butch tailing him, still laughing. Boomer realized he was being left behind and shot out after them. "Hey! Wait for me guys!"

Distantly he could hear Mojo chuckling to himself but it really didn't seem that important to him so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

There was a fight to be had!

...

And it turned out like all the others, a draw.

Boomer scratched idly at the smear of mud across his face and tried not to wince at the bruise that was forming beneath it. Fighting the Girls was always fun, but man…it still hurt afterwards.

The trio floated lazily up to the lab entrance and strolled through the door, not really caring about all the mud they were tracking into the house. They had lost to the Puffs again, what were a few mud tracks to add to Mojo's anger?

Still, Boomer prepared himself for a long and extremely boring hour. Mojo never had a failure lecture that was shorter than an hour. His best record was two and a half so far. The blonde hoped this one wouldn't break it.

They slowly walked into the living room and were surprised to find that Mojo wasn't there. Odd, he somehow always knew when they got back and was usually waiting for them.

Boomer looked towards Brick with a shrug. The redhead grabbed Butch's sleeve before he could slink off towards his room and motioned the group towards their 'father's' lab. "Come on, let's go get this over with."

"_Mannnn."_ Butch whined as the three boys made their way to the secret staircase that led below, towards the heart of the volcano.

Most people thought that Mojo's lab was at the top of his dome house thingie but that was just a die- diver- _diversh-_ augh, it was just a decoy.

His real lab was actually inside the volcano, which was pretty cool in Boomer's book. How many super villains could say their super-secret-but-not-really lair was in the heart of a volcano?! Maybe a few, but not many!

The Boys climbed down set after set of stairs until sometime later they emerged into a long metal corridor. They walked down the corridor, made a few turns and ended up right outside Mojo's top secret, high security, nearly unbreakable door that guarded his lab. Seriously, it was nearly unbreakable. Butch had only managed to dent it last time he tried to open it with his bare hands.

Bear hands…he he.

Clunk, clunk, clunk!

Boomer tried to stifle his giggles as Brick banged on the door. The sounds echoed down the deserted corridors in a kinda spooky manner. Not that Boomer was scared; he was just saying that if anyone _else _was to come down here and hear that sound they might, you know, feel a bit freaked out or something.

He only jumped a little when the twin doors hissed open a moment later and a billow of smoke blew in their faces. Brick waved the fumes away carelessly and walked into the belly of the beast while his two brothers followed him in, coughing lightly.

"Mojo!? We're home!" Brick called out as he looked around the dark, quiet space. Mojo was nowhere to be seen. No sound besides Brick's voice broke the room's silence. It was downright weird.

Boomer watched Brick float through the room, calling out for their creator, as he and Butch began to idly tap on random beakers and test tubes. Hey, what else were they supposed to do?

Boomer tapped a random tube and jumped back as it started spewing out this bright blue liquid. The liquid splashed onto the metal desk and started eating away at the surface, some got on his hand and Boomer suddenly knew what the desk felt like.

Ouch! He flicked his hand back and forth to get the offensive goo off. That hurt! But it was still kinda cool, after all, it _was_ blue. That was his favorite color. That meant it had to be cool. It was like an unspoken law or something.

"MOJO!" Boomer turned back to his eldest brother and saw Brick frown when he received no answer. "WE LOST TO THE GIRLS AGAIN!"

"Dude!" Butch hissed at him. Brick waved away his complaint and listened for any response.

There was none.

Did that mean they were off the hook?

While his brothers continued to try and find their 'father' figure- it was more like Brick trying to find him while Butch looked at the wall of jars filled with disembodied animal heads, Boomer floated deeper into the lab.

They weren't ever really allowed in here, not without Mojo's permission and even then he always had to be with them. Something about highly explosive chemicals and raidi- radio- ra- oh forget it, some sort of bad thing.

With Mojo missing, this presented the perfect opportunity for exploring. Boomer liked to explore. Maybe he'd find something really cool! Like a three headed dog or, or a blue alligator or something! That would be cool, but only if the dog was friendly.

He hated mean dogs. One bit him this one time and sure, it didn't hurt but it wasn't fun. So he kicked the dog three city blocks. Stupid dog had it coming.

Unfortunately, he found neither of these things. He instead found himself in the middle of a bunch of weird looking machinery. The sound of his brother's voices echoed lightly behind him, but not as loud as before. He must have traveled further than he thought.

Oh well, that wasn't as important as these things. What were these things anyway?

The blonde curiously floated up to one of the bulbous machines and rapped his knuckles on it. That's when things started getting weird. Instead of giving off any sound, the machine seemed to _absorb _it.

Boomer jumped back and blinked at it a few times.

That wasn't normal. He may not know a whole lot like Brick, but he knew things made noise when you hit them. The Blue Ruff flew close again and rapped it a second time.

Still nothing.

What was keeping it from making noise?

Finding his curiosity peeked; the blonde started floating around the device from all angles, looking for anything that might be the source of this oddity. Nothing really stood out to him but there was this opening that led inside the machine. Maybe it was on the inside?

"What the heck." He mumbled to himself as he shrugged and set down gently through the opening. It was actually a lot roomier than it looked. All three of him and his brothers could have stood on top of each other's shoulders and barely reached the ceiling.

There wasn't much to look at however, the entire inside was covered in some glossy metal and only showed his dim reflection.

Well this was a letdown.

Boomer sighed with a frown. Nothing special, no cool mutated animals or aliens, not even a box with a big red button. Didn't weird machines always have those? Maybe he needed a different source of information than SciFy movies. What a bust…

And now he was bored.

Maybe his brothers had found something cooler. He supposed he should be heading back anyway; Brick didn't really like it when he wandered off for some reason. With a light shrug Boomer floated off the floor and made his way towards the opening.

Only to have it hiss shut…with him still inside.

Now normally, Boomer loved adventures and new experiences but this wasn't one of them. He was stuck in the dark, in a weird machine that sucked in all sound, in some random junk pile secreted away in Mojo's underground volcano lab.

He would admit it, the thought made him nervous.

"Hey!" Whomp, whomp, whomp. "Hey let me out!" Whomp. Boomer yelled at what he thought was the door way as he pounded on the walls. At least now he knew that sound acted normal _inside_ the machine.

A minute of pounding later and the only thing he had succeeded in doing was making himself more panicked. The blonde looked around his impromptu prison and swallowed nervously.

What would happen to him? Would his brothers come and look for him? Would they even be able to find him? Would he be stuck here forever? Without food, without water,…without any video games?!

The thought made Boomer's eyes widen in fright. He _had_ to get out of here!

He attacked the walls again but his fists made little impact on the glossy surface. What were these things made out of? His punches should have turned this thing into a scrap pile! Like when he hit cars! Instead they held firm and showed no signs of damage as he rained punch after punch into them.

After a minute, Boomer stopped his assault on the walls and backed away, towards the center of the room. The wall looked as pristine as it had ever been. His stomach sunk as he realized he was well and truly trapped in here.

This was not good.

It was about that time that the tears started welling up in his eyes. He wasn't a crybaby but this was freakin' scary okay!? Butch could say all he wanted but if their places were switched, Boomer was sure he'd be feeling like crying too.

Dejected, the little blonde boy sat down on the floor and brought his knees to his chest. What else could he do? He shouldn't have been here in the first place. Now he knew why Mojo never let them in. Boomer sniffled lightly and buried his head into his arms.

All he could do was wait.

Boomer didn't know how long he sat there for, it was hard to tell time in the dark and he hadn't really bothered to keep count, but he thought it must have been at _least_ an hour. It sure felt like he had been there forever. There had been no change to the room as he sat in silence, but then…a light suddenly turned on above him.

The Blue Ruff raised his head and looked cautiously up at the ceiling. It was just an ordinary light, but now that it was turned on, he could see hundreds of his reflections surrounding him. It was kinda creepy, even more so that being stuck in the dark.

Slowly he got up on to his feet and watched as his doppelgangers did the same. This reminded him of that house of mirrors that was at that carnival they crashed a couple years ago. It had freaked him out then and it still did now.

A clanking sound echoed in the chamber and all at once, his reflections vanished. The mirrors turned see through and Boomer gaped as he peered out into the expanse of Mojo's lab.

Where'd the mirrors go?! Did they disappear?

**CLUNK!**

The blonde rubbed at the lump on his head as glared at the wall. Nope, they were still there, just invisible. Note to self; don't fly into anymore walls…that really hurt.

Then, a very familiar laugh began filling the air. Something about its unhinged nature was tugging at Boomer. It was…it _was_…

"BWUAHAHAHAHA! Fools! Simpletons! HAHAHA! You fell right into my perfectly constructed trap, that is to say that you walked unknowingly into the snare which I had prepared for you prior to your arrival! Hahahahaha!" Out from the darkness emerged one Mojo Jojo, super villain and self-proclaim evil genius.

A wave of relief washed over Boomer as he saw his father figure…but then his words started registering and that wave of relief wasn't nearly so comforting.

Trap? What?

Mojo walked up to the machine Boomer was imprisoned in and leered at him. "I expected such a simple ploy to lure you in, and you as well Butch." Mojo glanced off to the side and Boomer saw that inside the other machines were his two brothers.

How'd they get stuck in there?

"For the simplicity at which your cognitive functions operate in requires little energy to design and implement a trap as effortless as this. But you Brick? I had expected a much more complicated task of successfully encasing you in one of these capsules. You have disappointed me. Never the matter! This makes my plans much easier, hehehehe, hahahahaa!"

"Let us out Mojo!" Brick interrupted the monkey before he could really get into swing with the maniacal laughter.

The chimp blinked at him and then grinned maliciously. "Let you out? Preposterous! Why should I release you and your brothers when I went through all the trouble of trapping you in the first place? That would completely undermine the time and effort which I have put into this plan, the dedicated hours of my time that I have willfully poured into this moment of triumph! "

"So we lost to the Girls again, big whoop! You don't have to lock us in these stupid, dumb things!" Butch yelled as he banged on the see through walls.

His remark made Mojo burst out into laughter once more. "Hahaha! It is astonishing that you still think this about you! I could care less of the outcome of your fight with the Powerpuff Girls. You succeeded in your goal of distracting them long enough for me to implement my diabolically evil master plan. And for that you shall be rewarded!"

Boomer saw Brick look around his make shift prison. "You call this a reward?!" He asked incredulously.

Mojo adopted his creepy grin yet again. Boomer had a bad feeling about that grin; it usually didn't mean anything good.

"This? No, this is only one small part of your greater reward. You see, while at first I had considered drawing out your misery and suffering, now that you have unknowingly helped me climb higher in achieving my vision of supreme power I shall simply end your miserable existence with the utmost haste and keep your suffering to a minimum. It shall be a quick demise, but certainly not painless."

It took a moment for Boomer to blink past all the big words and figure out the meaning of what Mojo had said, but when he did get it he yelped like a small dog who had just got kicked.

"You're gonna kill us!?"

Boomer's cry made Mojo turn towards him. His beady black eyes gleamed cruelly. "Ah yes, I had forgotten the astonishing level of incompetency that you and your brother have somehow managed to cultivate. Let me put this in simpler terms for your amazing trivial mind."

Mojo walked right up to the glass like barrier that separated them. Boomer shied back as his 'father' sneered down at him. "Yes, I am planning on disposing of you and your brothers."

"Over my dead body! As soon as I get out of here I'm gonna kick your butt so bad you won't be able to sit for a week!" Butch shouted as he started ramming into the wall only to bounce right back off it.

Mojo let out a dark chuckle as the Green Ruff tried to break the barrier between them and walked towards a panel that Boomer had somehow missed in his earlier search of the area. "That certainly is the idea. By all means, continue on your vain attempts at breaking through. You won't be able to achieve any noticeable reward for your efforts."

"These are made out of the same material you used on your door." Brick stated, glowering at the monkey with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"Yes, you are correct. After a multitude of tests I have finally perfected the chemical make-up of the most resistant metal known to mankind! Hahaha!" Mojo cackled as he walked up to the panel and started fiddling with a bunch of knobs and buttons.

Boomer didn't know what they did but he could bet it meant bad things for them. Brick must have thought so too because he spoke up in an effort to stall for time…at least, that's what Boomer assumed he was doing.

"Then why haven't you made one of your dumb robots out of it to fight the Girls with? Why'd you make us fight them today if you could have used this stupid metal to win?"

Mojo paused in his button pushing and sent the Boys an indulgent smirk. "An astute observation, I wouldn't expect anything less from you my dear boy. Yes, it is true that with enough of this Pearlitonium I could construct a monstrous mechanize fighting robot of deadly proportions! However, the level of chemical engineering and labor involved in generating even a pound of this material is highly intensive and frustratingly hard to mass produce."

The monkey gestured to the Boys prisons. "What you see here is the result of years of work and painstaking experimentation. Perhaps a byproduct of such a metal could be produced in half the time but it would be injudicious for me to try and create more to construct a fighting robot when I have already won the war."

Boomer blinked as he caught only the tail end of Mojo's monologue. Won the war? What war? He hadn't heard about any fighting.

"Won the war?" Boomer looked over towards Brick and saw his eyebrow scrunch down in confusion. His lips moved lightly as he thought to himself and then his eyes opened wide in realization. "What did you do while we were fighting the Girls?"

Mojo pressed one last button on his panel and an alarm squawked in Boomer's chamber. The blonde boy backed away from the weird glass like walls and watched fearfully as a strange gas started pouring in from vents rooted around the chambers floor.

"What the hell is this!?" Butch hollered at Boomer's right as he tried to float about the gas that was also pouring into his prison. Boomer tried to do the same but the room filled up too quickly and his couldn't keep from breathing it in.

Instantly it felt like someone had lit a match and dropped it down his throat. The Blue Ruff hacked and coughed as his lungs seemed to burn and the energy leaked away from his limbs. Slowly his floating form drifted downward until he was on his hands and knees on the cold metallic floor.

Augh! This was so painful, even more so than that time Butch had dumped a whole jar of chili sauce on his hotdog. Boomer tried to clear his throat of the offending pain but the effort only brought tears to his eyes.

"*Cough cough* What-*hack* what have yo-*cough* done Mojo?!" Brick managed to spit out between his bouts of chocking.

The evil super villain sauntered towards their cages with a gleam in his eyes and a triumphant smirk on his lips.

"Why, I am only providing you the answer for that which you have previously inquired Brick. You expressed a desire to know what it was that I was out accomplishing while you three occupied the Powerpuff Girls. Here within lies the answer." He spread out his arms in an extravagant manner.

"You three are experiencing that which the soon to be Power-_less_ Girls will be discovering for themselves in a little over a month's time. While you were all so diligently following my orders and keeping those blasted Powerpuffs oblivious to my movements, I secreted into the primary Townsville Water Filtration Reservoir and initiated my most brilliant of plans to date!"

He paused for dramatic effect but it was lost on the three young boys huddle on the floor, hacking their lungs up.

Mojo lowered his arms in displeasure and continued his narrative. "I have tainted the entire city's supply of water with the one chemical that has the ability to render the Powerpuff's super powers useless! Antidote X! Mwuahahaha!"

Boomer only caught a little of what the monkey had said through his fog of pain, but he did catch the words Antidote X and that sent a tremor of fear down his spine.

If they were experiencing what the girls were supposed to…then that meant this gas they were breathing was…

"Hahaha, within the next few minutes of time you three shall be completely powerless! The super powers which have made you so valuable to me in the past shall no longer be present within you and you shall become as normal humans!"

Gone!? All their powers would disappear?! Boomer felt panic rising up in his throat as he tried to rise up off the floor. His body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds; still he pushed himself onto his feet. The world tilted hazily as he struggled to stop swaying.

He didn't want to lose his powers! He liked them! He had to escape, had to use his powers before they were completely gone to get out of here!

Boomer scrunched his eyes and tried to fire off his eye lasers…only to have them fizzle out barely a foot away. He tried again and got the same result.

It was happening too fast!

"It is truly a shame that your soon to be inferior bodies shall retain enough of the genetic material from the absorbed properties of the Chemical X that has been flowing through your veins for the last five years that you will not simply disintegrate at the removal of said Chemical X. But it shall certainly be an enjoyable experience at killing you three with my own hands. It is only fitting that I, Mojo Jojo, should dispose of you, the one who brought you into this world!" Mojo clenched his hands in glee. "A poetic justice indeed! Mwuahahahaha!"

Between the multiple bouts of coughing and Mojo's insane laughter, a small alarm sound managed to break through the cacophony. It successfully halted Mojo's laughter and made him check a small device attached to his wrist.

His grin, if possible, got even wider. The monkey looked back up at the three brothers lying weakly on the floor and contemplated them for a moment.

He made some internal decision and moved back towards the panel and pressed a button. Mercifully, the gas spewing from the floor vents stopped.

Boomer couldn't really remember much but he thought he heard Mojo saying something about their demise being put off for a time. It got really hazy after that. He felt himself be lifted off the floor by cold robotic hands and being moved to who knows where.

When he was strong enough to open his eyes again, he found him and his brothers stuck in a metal cage. It didn't look like anything special, just one off those cages you would see at a zoo or something.

Nearby Brick shakily pushed himself to his knees and looked at their predicament. He growled and punched weakly at the floor.

"I can't believe we fell for that. To be tricked by that moronic chimp!" He broke off into a brief fit of coughing.

"Augh, tell me about it. When I can stand I'm going to hurt him so bad…" Butch added weakly from his position on the floor.

"Oh shut up Butch. We need to get out of here before he can come back and finish us off. Boomer, wake up."

A light kick to the ribs caused the blonde to groan and push himself off the floor. "I hurt Brick."

"We all hurt dope, quit your bellying aching and help me, or do you want to be incinerated by Mojo when he gets back?"

"I don't even know what that means!" Boomer responded desperately.

"Then get your butt over here and help, you too Butch." Brick had moved over to the bars of their prison and was eyeing them critically.

The Green and Blue duo painfully made their way over and waited for Brick's instructions. Boomer began to feel anxious as the seconds ticked by.

When would Mojo come back? How long had they even been out for? For all they knew he could walk through that door any second! The blonde bit his lip and mentally willed his brother to think faster.

Brick straightened up and address the both of them. "Alright, here's the plan. I don't think we're in Mojo's 'secret' lab anymore; it only looks like one of the storage rooms or something. Butch, you grab that bar and Boomer and I will grab this one. On the count of three, we pull as hard as we can. Once we're out, we get the heck out of here as fast as we can."

"_If_ we can get out you mean." Butch grumbled but followed his orders anyway.

Boomer moved over beside Brick and gripped the bar with both hands. When all three of the brothers were in position Brick began counting aloud.

"Three…Two…One…PULL!"

With gritted teeth and much groaning, the brothers pulled with all of their little might. It came as a shock to Boomer that the bars didn't instantly spring apart. Just yesterday he could have ripped these things like paper, now they didn't even move.

He pulled harder, digging his heels into the floor as much as he could. Slowly, oh so slowly he heard a whining groan start to build up.

"Keep pulling!" Brick grunted through his teeth.

His and Brick's bar was the first to give in, Butch's wasn't too far behind though. In a few minutes they had somehow been able to pull the bars far enough apart to squeeze through them. Thank goodness they hadn't hit their growth spurts yet.

Butch dusted off his hands while Boomer worker his shoulder with a wince. That was a lot tougher than he thought it'd be. Of course, he was surprised it had even worked to begin with. They were supposed to be completely powerless right now.

"Hey Brick, how'd we do that? Mojo dosed us with all the Antidote X, we shouldn't be able to hurt a fly right now." Butch stole the question from Boomer's mouth.

"I don't know, maybe he miscalculated or something. Frankly, I don't care. We're out that darn cage; now let's get out of this forsaken volcano and leave." Brick replied hotly.

"Leave to where?" Boomer asked as they walked towards the door.

Brick stayed strangely quiet for a moment. "I don't know…somewhere. Away from this stinking city and its maniacs. Some place we can lay low until I figure things out." It was unsettling to hear Brick speak so timidly.

The sense of dread Boomer had had almost all day doubled in size as they walked up the long flight of stairs to their freedom. What were they going to do now? Where were they going to go? How would they live without their super powers?

Too many questions and definitely not enough answers. The only upside to this whole thing was that at least he wasn't alone.

"Hurry it up blondie or we're leaving you behind."

For what it was worth.

**:::END FLASHBACK:::**

Boomer took a deep breath as he finished his narrative and broke his eye contact with Bubbles for a moment.

Oh that had been hard, he could feel his fingers shake from nervousness. And how come his throat was so damn dry? Was that normally what happened when you spoke for long periods of time? No wonder he didn't do this often. It took another breath before the blonde could once again raise his eyes and look at his counterpart.

She stared him with an undecipherable look on her face. It wasn't blank per say, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. It was a look unlike anything he had seen before. That made him nervous.

Would she believe him? He was telling the whole truth for once in his life! She had to believe him! She just had to…

He didn't know why this was so important to him, but it was. There was some inner…conscience inside of him that needed closure or whatever you called that kind of bullshit. He needed her to believe him, to…forgive him?

As crazy as it seemed, it was the truth.

He felt guilty, he always had. Maybe he was soft like his brothers always said but he felt partly responsible for the demise of the world. If he and his brothers hadn't distracted the Girls, maybe they could have caught Mojo in the act and been able to stop him. Hell, if he and his brothers hadn't been so stupid and gullible in the first place they could have stop that crazed monkey themselves.

It was weight he had been carrying for far too long and the one person who could lift it was barely four feet in front of him, looking at him silently with that odd look on her face. What would she say? The suspense was making it difficult to breath.

And yes, he did feel like a sissy for letting it affect him this much, but feelings were feelings and he could control them no more than he could control the weather. If only she would say something!

Bubbles answered Boomer's silent plea and finally broke the silence. "Where did you and your brothers end up?"

Boomer blinked in surprise. That…had not been the response he had been expecting.

In fact, if their positions had been switched, he was sure than question would have never popped into his mind. The young man swallowed nervously before answering. "Ci-Cisco City. We hid in the woods until Mojo took over Townsville. When it became clear that you-…you lost, we fled to Cisco." He stammered.

Would it be too much to ask for if he could finish a sentence without stuttering for once in his dismal life? He heaved an internal sigh.

"And when did you come back to Townsville?" She asked him, still with that odd look on her face.

He had no idea what she was thinking. What was with all these weird questions? Did she believe him even the slightest bit? Was she looking for holes in his story, trying to interrogate him for any falsehood? …Was Bubbles even capable of something like that?

"We, we lived in Cisco for three years. When Mojo's troops started occupying the city we decided to come back to Townsville and try to dis-dismantle his power from the inside."

He saw a small frown pull at her mouth and some tiny, terrified part of him knew she wasn't going to believe him. She was going to turn around and tell her sister that they were utter liars and then they would leave.

He could not let that happen. For some completely irrational reason, his mind cried out that he had to convince her. For guilty conscience, internal peace, saving the world, whatever the reason, he had to say something else! He had to get her to stay!

"That's why we want Mojo gone…he, he hurt us just as much as he hurt everyone else. And we need to stop him." The blonde Ruff said softly, catching Bubbles attention.

He resisted the urge to grimace, when had he become such a pansy? Hurt them? Seriously? It was true, but…seriously? He couldn't have come up with something better? He sucked at this whole talking thing.

Like…really sucked at it.

The wind blowing across the asphalt rooftop was the only sound as the two groups stood in silence. Bubbles' sisters still stood by the doorway and it might have just been him, but did they look a little less hostile? Probably only wishful thinking.

While he was on the subject of wishful thinking, he was going to pretend that he couldn't feel Butch's death glare drilling a hole in the back of his head. It was amazing that the brunette had stayed silent during his exchange with Bubbles but he knew Butch definitely wasn't happy about him airing out their dirty laundry to their quote unquote arch rivals.

The bolder side of him mentally told Butch to suck but the realistic side of him knew that as soon as they got home there would be a rant. A very loooong one. If Brick didn't steal the privilege first.

He had absolutely no idea how his eldest brother would react to him moving in like this and telling the Girls their story of betrayal. He had told Boomer not to go off and do things without permission, but the blonde thought this was a special case. Their whole alliance stood in the balance for crying out loud!

Boomer had to beat down the feeling of a pit of snakes writhing through his intestinal track as Bubbles took a step towards him and looked deeply into his eyes. He was sure he was sweating and his face was flushed. He had no idea why he was reacting this way but it was weird and uncomfortable and the sooner she made her decision the better.

He just wanted this to be over, no matter the outcome.

He received his answer in a sudden burst of movement. One moment Bubbles was looking directly into his eyes, searching his soul it seemed like, the next she had turned on her heel towards her sister and gave them a determined nod.

"I believe him."

…Wait

…What?

She, she said she believed him?

_Really?_

Boomer watched in disbelief as the three sister had some sort or weird silent communication thingie until Bubbles turned back around to face him. She had a soft smile on her face, which was in sharp contrast to the scowl her brunette sister was sporting. The Puff leader had a pretty neutral look to her as she stepped up next to her sister. Buttercup slunk up behind her as the redhead addressed him.

"If Bubbles thinks you're telling the truth... then so do we." There was a small grumble from the Green Puff but Boomer was too shocked to really give it a second thought.

That was it?! No cross examination, no grilling him for details? Just…we believe you if Bubbles does?

This couldn't be real. Who had that kind of trust with each other? Certainly not him and his brothers. Brick was just automatically followed, well usually followed. If either he or Butch tried to say something, Brick had to analyze it at every angle before he would accept it at the truth.

"Re-really?" The Blue Ruff asked hesitantly, afraid he had misheard.

Blossom gave him a nod but he saw her eyes drift over his shoulder. Glancing behind him, he saw Brick cautiously walking towards them with a gob smacked Butch tagging along. The brunette was probably just as shocked by the quick turnaround approval as he was.

Brick was more composed as he stood before Blossom face to face and began an intense staring match.

Boomer glanced between the two nervously. 'Please don't do something stupid Brick, please. Not after all that work I had to go though.' He mentally pleaded.

"We've been enemies for over ten years." Blossom spoke. "We've fought hundreds of times, destroyed acres of landscape, and been at each other's throat for as long as I can remember. Not only do you have a reputation of being cruel, malicious, and downright criminal but you're also an insensitive, ego-centric jerk that needs a few life lessons on how to get along with others. Now add all that to the fact that I just found out that you three are the reason all of us lost our powers..."

Oh crap. This was escalating again. From the corner of his eye he saw Bubbles tense up too. It was good to know he wasn't the only one who thought that. The downside was, he wasn't the only one who thought that and it would mostly likely come to blows.

However, Boomer was in for another surprise to add to the multitudes of them he had already received today. Brick didn't launch back a snide retort; he didn't even spit out an insult. He only clenched his fist and kept his mouth shut.

Blossom stared at her counterpart for a few heartbeats and then, shockingly, let her glare melt away. She sighed softly and looked at the three young men. "You might be all those things and more I'm sure, but no matter how much I want to…I can't hold it against you."

Of all the responses Brick was expecting, that was obviously not one of them. Boomer doubted he had ever seen Brick so taken aback in all his life.

His brother worked his mouth once or twice before roughly clearly his throat. "What do you mean by that?"

"I can't hold it against you. You were just naïve ten year old boys who were tricked by your caretaker. It wasn't like you wanted to lead the world to ruin or anything. Villains you might be, but you guys aren't _that_ evil." The Puff Leader huffed and folded her arms across her chest, like she didn't really want to admit it.

A light toss of his head was all Brick gave as a reply. Boomer wasn't entirely sure, but he thought that one major hurdle in this alliance had just been successfully jumped. Now…if only Butch could be reined in.

The blonde glanced to his side and saw his brutish brother holding a glaring contest with his counterpart across the way. He could almost see the sparks flying between them.

It would take an act of God to get those two to ever work together peacefully.

"I still don't trust you as far as I can throw you, which isn't very far thanks to some people." At her jab, Brick sent her a disgruntled glare.

She ignored it and continued on. "But…by working together, we might be able to get an advantage and finally bring Mojo down. For good this time."

Blossom took a deep breath and then held out her hand towards his brother. "Truce?"

Boomer watched as Brick stared at the hand for a moment with a blank face.

'Take it, take it!' He mentally urged him. It wouldn't be too far fetched to say that Boomer was still worried that Brick might say no. His ego had been bruised an awful lot today. The question was, had it been too much?

Another moment passed and then, slowly, Brick raised his hand and grasped Blossom's. In one sharp movement they shook hands and broke apart. It was almost comical to see the twin expressions of disgust that both of them shared.

Instead, all Boomer could do was release the breath he was holding. It was done, official. They were working together to bring down Mojo Jojo and restore peace to the world.

Blossom composed herself after a second and looked at the group. "Okay, so where to do we begin?"

* * *

**A/N: And with that!...we have now come to the end of Act 1! Yes, you read correctly, all that was just Act 1. When I said this was going to be a long story, I wasn't kidding. Act 2 is at least twice as long in my rough draft O.O So if that fills you with glee, Yay! If it fills you with dread, sorry *shrug* We will be starting Act 2 next Saturday and it's going straight into the action so you guys won't have to wait. The best is yet to come! So hold onto your seats and enjoy the ride!**

**Also what did you guys think of this climactic bit of closure? Good? Bad? Did the truce get resolved too quick? I would love to hear your thoughts on it so drop me a review!**

**Reviewer Recognition:**

**ROC95: Thanks! I update this story every Saturday unless it's a special occasion like this past week.**

**Lily975: Woohoo! Glad you liked the first half of the meeting, how'd the second half turn out for you? I really had too much fun with everybody's reactions during this whole situation and I'm glad you liked it! You're always so nice in your reviews, it makes me feel super special :D Thanks a bunch!**

**Scourge: Hehehe, glad you liked it and it blew past your expectations! Hopefully this chapter did the same. I am glad that I got the whole Rowdyruff responsibility thing past you though. I thought for sure you already knew what was coming. Score one for Sandstorm3d! Ha_ha!_ Glad you loved it! Thanks for the review buddy!**

**tweetybird99: :D I'm good at cliff hangers, but here was some resolution for you. The next section of the story we're going into will be chalked full of more surprises and cliff hangers so you better get yourself a good chair to avoid floor collisions lol! Thanks for the review tweety!**

**NyanicornYaY: Ahh don't cry! It was only a few days of waiting, not too torturous I hope. :D I'm glad you liked it though, last chapter and this one were the ones I was most nervous about. I've built up to it for so long that I wanted to fulfill everyone's expectations. You're reaction fills me with a certain amount of glee! I must not be doing _too_ bad of a job. Thanks!**

**The Cynic: Lol! Great analogy! I couldn't have said it better myself. Of course the Blues got it all under control! They have secret awesomeness buried beneath all their cute slightly ditsy personalities. Anyway, glad you liked last chapter and I hope you liked this one just as much! Much thanks for the review!**

**Alright peeps! The alliance is officially on and the Puffs are going to have to learn to work with their former worst enemies. Expect tons of clashing, fights, arguments, and maybe, just maybe, some cooperation from the two teams. *insert evil laugh here* It is going to be sooo much fun! Thanks for the awesome reviews this week guys! You all literally floored me with all the reviews sent on Wednesday, needless to say, I was a very happy camper. And thank you all the silent readers out there that keep coming back week after week! I appreciate each and everyone of you! :D**

**Next Week: The Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys are now bound by a common goal to bring down the world's worst evil overlord! Of course, they're going to need to learn to work together first. It's _definitely_ going to be A Ruff Start for them, but what better way to learn than to actually work together?  
**

**See you all next Saturday! Peace!**


	29. Chapter 29 – A Ruff Start

**A/N: And so...we begin Act 2! Enjoy!**

Chapter 29 – A Ruff Start

By the looks of the sun, it was now around 4 o'clock…and that meant they were late.

Brick frowned heavily at the golden orb in the sky as it continued its laborious journey towards the evening horizon.

Wasn't that just like them? Tch, stupid Puffs. Knowing that stuck up goodie two shoes, Blossom was probably making him wait like this on purpose. She always knew just how to push his buttons.

The Ruff leader directed his frown at the crinkled map laying at his feet, its corners pinned to the rooftop by several small rocks as the wind tried to steal it and carry it off to who knows where. It also attempted to do the same with his beloved hat, much to his annoyance. He tried to focus on the piece of paper, but his gaze kept drifting.

He was restless, he'd admit it. Maybe it was nerves or maybe it was irritation at being forced to wait, but he couldn't seem to sit still today. It was like developing a bad case of Butchitis.

Keeping a firm hold on his red cap, Brick cast a quick glance around the rooftop for what must have been the tenth time that hour. The only other occupant was leaning heavily on the edge railing and glaring down at the three story drop below. Knowing Butch, he was probably contemplating whether throwing himself off the edge of the roof to get out of today's ordeal would be a good idea or not.

Hell, Brick himself would admit the idea had some appeal. A three story drop with maybe a broken leg or attempt to work with their arch rivals?

Yeah, the idea was definitely tempting.

It was surprising that Butch wasn't raging up a storm with the injustice of it all. He certainly hadn't had any qualms about doing so the last three days, ever since the truce between the Puffs and Ruffs had been formed. All day long it had been Puffs this, Puffs that, fuck you, I hate my life, blah, blah, blah.

It got down right irritating and Brick was appalled to admit that he had lost his temper more than once. The universe must love to play cruel jokes because Butch was the antithesis to his calm and collected nature. How they ended up brothers was beyond him.

At least today his brother was silent in his protests. A sulking Butch was a lot less of a headache than a loud, pissed off, and complaining Butch. As long as he followed orders and didn't fuck anything up, then Brick would let him be.

Now if only his other headache would make her appearance…

Resisting the urge to sigh, Brick looked back down at his map and tried to study it again. Unfortunately, there were few markings to study. It had some basic information on it: roadways leading up the base, surrounding buildings, the size of the base itself, entrances and exits. But that was it.

Boomer would be supplying him with more detailed information once he returned from his scouting run. Garrison size, patrol routes, perimeter guard, robotic capabilities. That sort of data would be vital for today. He didn't want to going running into this trial raid half blind, not with a shiny new alliance on line.

A shiny new alliance that had taken him more than a damn _month_ to secure.

And yes, he did still feel sour about that. Over a month of planning and possible attacks wasted because of some self-righteous bitches that couldn't take things at face value. If it hadn't been for Boomer's surprising display of backbone then this whole truce might have never began at all.

Now that they _were_ working together, everything had to go perfectly, especially today's raid. That wasn't much of a concern to him though; if things went according to his plan then there would be no other outcome but perfection. He had picked this particular target for a reason.

Victory was almost guaranteed.

The target was a simple base located a few miles from the Divide. It wasn't much bigger than the power station he and his brothers attacked over a week ago. He was hoping it contained roughly the same amount of troops as the last one.

What made this base special were the buildings housed inside it, specifically the robot production and storage buildings. This outpost was one of several such bases where attack bots were manufactured and stored until they needed to be shipped out to the front lines.

Crippling those capabilities might throw a small kink in Mojo's plans, if only for a brief moment. It wasn't the sort of all-out attack that Butch had been hoping for but it was a start. Besides, it wasn't like Brick could pick a better target when he only had six people to work with.

Again he frowned down at the map.

He had not been a happy camper when Blossom had laid down that little condition for this trial run. No backup, no ammunition, not extra men. Just the Puffs and the Ruffs until the Boys had _proved_ themselves.

How insulting.

Brick was positive that he and his brothers were ten times as capable as Pinkie and her sisters in battle. After all, they were the Rowdyruff Boys. Strong. Quick. Smart. Ruthless. Those were the most important qualities in fighting and they had all that in spades. Much more than those sissy Puffs.

Tsch, _prove_ themselves. Oh, they'd prove themselves alright. And wouldn't it be a sweet victory when he got to hold his accomplishment over Pinkie's head?

A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips at the thought.

To be able to rub it in Miss Stuck Up's face that he was an all-around better leader than she was would be worth the extra trouble her terms brought him. If they could accomplish what he had planned with only six people, just think what he could do with a whole company of soldiers.

The thought almost made that half formed smirk solidify; at least it would have, if the hollow sounds of footsteps climbing up the rickety old ladder hadn't drawn Brick's attention.

He looked up from the map and saw the bane of his existence climb the last few rungs and heave herself over the roof's edge. Her hard pink eyes took in the roof at a glance before they settled on him and a frown of displeasure twisted her mouth.

Hn, and she called him condescending. If Pinkie had her nose stuck up any higher in the air, she'd drown when it rained. Not that he'd have a problem with that. In fact, that would probably be enjoyable to watch.

Just looking at her stupid face pissed him off, but he'd have to remain in control of his emotions for this. As much as he didn't want to, he had to be the adult here because knowing her, she sure as hell wouldn't be.

Brick watched his counterpart as she cautiously made her way across the roof towards him, like she expected him to attack her on sight or some other ridiculous thought like that.

"I haven't booby trapped the roof, I usually save the double crossing until after I've achieved my goals." He said to her in his customary deadpan voice.

The look she sent him blazed with ire and gave him a certain inner satisfaction. He would admit it, he liked the fact that he could still get under her skin and piss her off at whim. It was petty sure, but it that didn't make it any less enjoyable.

"I'm sure you do." She said with glare that pulled at the scars across her forehead. The effect was thoroughly unpleasant and, in his humble opinion, made her even uglier than before. Here he thought she couldn't get any more grotesque.

At least she didn't have half her neck turned into a leather byproduct like her dike of a sister. What the hell kind of injury caused that much scarring anyway? The Green Puff wasn't likely to disclose that information anytime soon, she had declined to follow her older sister towards him and instead took a seat on the roof's edge, watching his brother like a hawk with prey.

Her other sister, the babyish one, joined her and looked decidedly uncomfortable with all the tension in the air. Shuffling her feet nervously, she glanced around and then looked towards him.

"Um…where's Boomer?"

"I sent him out to scout the base's perimeter." Brick replied stoically.

"It's good to know that you can think _some_ things through." His counterpart remarked as she looked down at the map.

He had half a mind to challenge her little dig but reined that compulsion in. God, she could be such a child.

Brick settled for crossing his arms and waiting for her to continue. The best way to keep the shaky peace would be to speak as little as possible; it would give her less ammunition to twist his words around.

After a few seconds of silence, Blossom finally got the hint that he wasn't going to respond and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "So, this is the target?" She asked reluctantly.

Brick nodded lightly. "Yes."

"Why this outpost? It's rather close to the Divide, could present a danger from reinforcements if anything goes awry." It was clear by her tone that she expected him and his brothers to be the ones responsible for that kind of outcome.

His glower deepened and he took a deep breath. "I chose it because it represents a strategic strike at Mojo's robotic capabilities. Inside that base are production and storage facilities, if we cripple those then Mojo's entire schedule may be thrown off. Besides it will piss him off and that thought appeals to me."

Was that a hint of surprise he caught on her face before she turned back towards the map? What? She didn't think he had a well thought out reason for his choice? That he had just chosen this particular base on a whim? Seriously, who did she think he was? Butch?

Little Miss Stuck Up cleared her throat lightly. "Alright, what are our resources and what are we going up against?" There was a slight shift in her voice, less petty, more authoritative.

"The six of us against a hundred or so Simian troops with more than enough fire power to squash us like bugs, and robots to boot."

The redhead released an irritated sigh as she looked back at him. "I knew that, I meant was there any other extraneous details that we know of? How can I plan something if you won't give me any concrete information?"

Brick blinked as he ran that sentence through his mind once again. How could _she_ plan something? Oh no, she didn't think she was leading this raid did she? Brick quirked an eyebrow at her and she gazed steady back at him, expecting an answer.

She totally did… of all the _nerve_!

'Relax Brick, relax. She obviously is too simple minded to understand the position she's in. You just need to explain it logically and correct her hastily constructed assumptions.' The Ruff thought to himself as he struggled to contain his rising annoyance.

"_You_ plan something? I'm sorry Miss Leader, but I've been attacking bases in and around Old Townsville quite a bit longer and more extensively than you have. I know their Standard Operating Procedures and how they generally respond to attacks. Therefore it will be me who is planning this raid." He pointed to himself with only a _hint_ of condescension.

Okay, more than a hint.

…What? He wasn't a saint for Christ's sake! He couldn't entirely be the adult here.

Blossom scoffed as she gave him an incredulous look. "Excuse me? You plan this raid? Have you ever planned anything this big before? I thought your deal was picking off smaller, weaker patrols of Simian Troops. You know, a fight you know you could win."

There was a fire brewing in that voice of hers but she was keeping on the border of polite. It was teetering precariously on the edge, but it was still there. "And don't even try to use experience as an argument against me. I've been leading high level battles, consisting of hundreds of troops, all over the world since I was fifteen. When it comes to experience…I win. So therefore, it should be me who will be leading this raid."

Hundreds of troops? Huh, so his theory of the Girls being backed by some powerful allies was true. He hadn't even known there were parts of the world still fighting the monkey's iron grasp. Interesting. That was definitely some information he was going to catalogue away for perusal at a later date.

But for now, there was a vast misconception he had to clear up.

"I wouldn't care if you fought the Battle of Gettysburg, I've been here longer and I know the environment better. That gives me the advantage and that means I should lead." He said in a deceptively cool voice despite his irritation.

Blossom turned to face him fully with her hands on her hips. She probably thought it made her look more authoritative, which it didn't. It was a pretty useless gesture considering he had to look down at her to meet her glares. She wielded authority like a midget wielded a maul.

"What do you think I've been doing ever since I arrived here? Hiding in the rubble? I-"

"The thought had crossed my mind more than once." He cut her off with a small, cruel smirk.

A frown pulled at her mouth and crinkled her brow again. It seemed like he was getting under her skin…good.

"I'll have you know that for the past three months I have been scouting and cataloging every inch of this wasteland! I have people feeding me information every day from inside Mojo's army, from troop movements to supply convoys, any information I need, I can get. And I've studied this landscape more than you probably have; so _I'm_ going to lead this raid."

He had to resist the urge to scoff at the ridiculous idea. The day he followed Miss Stick Up Her Ass was the day he shaved his head and threw his hat away. Wasn't going to happen. And to top off his rising bad mood, she had implied that he was lazy and uninformed. That wasn't going to fly.

He matched her frown and leaned in closer. "First off don't you even dare try and tell me how well I know my home. Second, I don't give a rat's ass about what information you have _access_ too, I actually _possess _that type of knowledge. I know how that base down below runs, I've been watching for months. Can you say the same thing? No! It will be_ me_ who will be leading this raid."

"Umm, guys?" A hesitant voice from across the rooftop called but both redheads ignored it. They stood face to face barely two feet from each other with thunderclouds on their faces. Things were definitely heating up, even though Brick had tried to proactively discourage such an outcome.

He hadn't expected her to be this obstinate and derisive though! God, she could make Gandhi himself pull out his hair in frustration… if he had any that was.

"If you know it so well, then how come you don't have any more information on it huh? Do you have a specific count on the troops? Do you know the sentry patrols schedules on the perimeter wall? Do you know who many robots they produce and store? Do you even know where the buildings that produce those machines _are_ inside the base?" Blossom barked as she pointed a finger at him.

Oh, if she didn't get that finger out of his face within the next five seconds... Right as he raised a hand to swat the offending appendage out of the way, a sound broke through their argument and caused both redheads to pause.

Scurrying up the ladder came the last member of their raid team and the least vocal out of the bunch. Boomer climbed over the roof edge and froze as he realized everyone's attention was directed at him.

"…hi…" The blonde mumbled and shifted his feet nervously.

It was all Brick could do to resist the urge to sigh at his socially challenged brother. At least his timely arrival had stopped the potential blow up between him and Pinkie. He hadn't realized she'd be this stubborn and oblivious to the facts laid out before of her.

He knew the area, he was the one who proposed this truce, and he was the one with all the ideas! It was obvious that he should be the one to lead the raid, but did that affect her? Did she even register those facts in that microscopic brain of hers?

No! Blinded by prejudice! That's what she was! Unlike her, he could at least look past other's blatant faults long enough to develop a use for them.

Brick's inner thoughts were interrupted as Boomer cautiously stepped up to him and his counterpart. "I uh, got the general info on the base Brick."

"Good, start marking it down." The redhead replied while gesturing to the map and trying to calm his temper.

The Blue Ruff quickly went about his business and marked down several places on the map, pointing out the perimeter guards and the patrolling troops. It wasn't much different from what Brick had anticipated in his preliminary planning stage. This target was usually well guarded on the outside, on the inside however it was less than fortified.

"No Collectors in the area as far as I can tell." Boomer finished off and stood up, brushing the dust from his knees. He glanced uncertainly between his brother and Blossom before nervously turning away and moving over to stand by Butch.

Brick couldn't help but notice the awkward nod his baby brother directed at the Blue Puff, nor did he miss the half smile she gave in return.

Hmmm, that too was some information he'd have to think over at a later date. Surprisingly enough, Boomer seemed to have the best 'in' with the Puffs so far. He supposed it wasn't really all that shocking, when one didn't speak it usually made one less likely to tick someone off. He could use this somehow.

Brick directed his attention back to Blossom as she started talking.

"Okay, from Boomer's information the front gate is pretty heavily guarded. The best approach would be to implement a distraction that would draw troops away from their positions. Ideally, two of us could cause the distraction and allow the other four to sneak in without alerting the guards." She pointed towards the south side of the map.

"The distraction should also serve to confuse the troops garrisoned inside the base. We can capitalize on that confusion and secure some armaments. This is a production facility; they should have a warehouse filled with ammunition somewhere on the premises." She looked up from the map towards him.

"From there it's as simple as using the ammunition we've acquired and rig it to blow the production facility to hell. The resulting chaos should allow us to sneak back out and meet back up with the rest of our party. Done and done." She finished smartly and waited from him to speak, no doubt expecting him to bow down and praise her great and powerful intellect for coming up with such a brilliant and awe inspiring plan.

Yes, there was just a hint of sarcasm there.

"Well Bossy, as exciting as all that sounds…let's actually stick to a plan that's going to work."

Her expectant attitude dropped off her face and she gaped at his blatant dismissal of her idea. It was time to educate Little Miss Leader Girl on how a realistic plan worked.

"First off, your infiltration plan is based off of hastily built suppositions that have no guarantee to even work. How do you know that two people would be enough to draw the _entire_ guard detail away from the gate? These troops may be a few cents short of a dollar, but nobody is stupid enough to leave their base entry point wide open." Brick said as he ticked up one finger.

"Second, if we were somehow miraculously able to get inside after that, the whole garrison would be put on alert that intruders are nearby. With all the recent attacks on their outposts I doubt they will sit back dumb, fat, and happy while we traipse to their armory, steal their explosives, and blow up their most vital resource." He ticked up another finger.

"And third, keeping ourselves grouped together is an all-around atrocious idea. If one of us gets caught, then all of us get caught. It would be a much wiser idea to split up into smaller groups and maximize our small numbers." He held up one last finger and smirked at the gob smacked expression sitting on Pinkie's face.

She regained her composure quickly enough and shot him a glare so filled with fire it could have lit a match. It only caused his smirk to grow. God, it felt good to bug the crap out of her again. It was the little things in life that brought him pleasure.

"Alright Mr. Know It All. If you think my plan's so appalling, then offer an alternative." She spat.

Huh, he would have thought she would have spit out a few more insults and excuses before admitting defeat and asking him for his much more sound option. Would wonders never cease?

Brick straighten up and adjusted his jacket slightly. "I will. As I said before, I've been watching this base for two months, once a week a shipment of scrap metal gets transported onto the premises via a supply convoy and today is one of those days. These convoys are usually lightly guarded and woefully unobservant. All we have to do is sneak onto the last one and ride straight into the facility. From there, we split up and cripple the base's robotic production capabilities."

"And how do you plan to do that Brick?" Blossom asked with her arms folded tightly over her chest.

"There are multiple ways to we could decommission the production line, it would be far easier if you would have at least brought _some_ resources." Okay, so technically he didn't really know how he was going to stop the production plant but he would think of something. Under no circumstances was he going to let Bossy over there know that though.

"As I said before, no resources until I can trust you and if you don't want to tell me your great and amazing plan then _fine_."

"Fine?" It was only after he mumbled out the word that Brick realized he had spoken out loud, the result was a strong desire to smack himself in the face at inadvertently taking her bait.

A small triumphant smile bloomed on her face and her eyes pierced into his. "Yes fine, I would press the issue but it's obvious that I wouldn't get any answers. That would require you to _have_ a plan to deal the production plant to begin with, which obviously isn't the case."

Damn it.

Brick scowled right back at her. "Listen Pinkie, I may not have all the details planned out at a microscopic level but in my experience, plans only remain relevant until the first move is made. Things will change once we start and by then, the plan won't matter anyway."

"That doesn't mean you should just discard planning at all! You have to have at least _some_ idea of how you're going to stop it!" She argued and threw a hand into the air.

"I'll think of something when the time comes. It's never stopped me before." He argued right back.

She pasted that disapproving frown on her face again and Brick found his self-control quickly failing him for a second time. "There's a first time for everything and I won't sit by while you put my sister's lives in danger!"

Snap.

And there went his cool. The Ruff clenched his fists. Oh, she was just so annoying! "We're going on a raid! Newsflash, their lives will be in danger anyway!"

"And you're not helping any of it by running in with a thread bare plan that could fall apart at the slightest provocation!" She huffed as she took a step towards him.

"Like yours is any better!"

"At least I thought of a way to dismantle the production plant."

"Yeah, on total assumptions!"

"ENOUGH!"

Both redheads once again halted their rising argument and directed their attention to their siblings.

It had been Buttercup who interrupted the quarrel this time and she wasn't looking too pleased. Great, now the numbskull wanted to add her two cents, just what he needed.

The brunette took a few quick steps that placed her in front of the both of them and looked down at the map by their feet. Brick opened his mouth to tell her to get lost and leave the grownups to their discussion but she shot him such a vicious scowl that he found himself staying silent for some reason.

He frowned curiously at himself as she raised her head once more and looked at the both of them. "Blossom, your plan would work if we had more troops available to us. Going out into the open like that would practically guarantee casualties and we can't afford that with only six people. We have a small group and that means that stealth should be our first and foremost concern, no matter how annoying it is."

By the frown of distaste on her face, Brick was going to guess she found it as dis-pleasurable as Butch would…which was to say, a whole lot.

The Green Puff crossed her arms over her chest and looked down once more. "That being the case, Brick's plan offers the best way to infiltrate the base undetected and secure our objective. Although, I think your plan of sequestering some ammunition would benefit us too. We should try and incorporate that into our operation."

The entire rooftop went silent at her statement. How could they not? Brick openly stared at the brunette in disbelief, not quite believing what he had just heard.

The numbskull had _actually _agreed with him?

Buttercup then noticed the lack of response and scowled at the lot of them. "What? If you're all serious about going through with this dumb ass alliance shit then I want to get through it alive thank you very much. Brick's model of entry has the highest chance of success is all… Stop staring at me damn it!"

Brick mastered his surprise and looked back towards his counterpart, curious to see if this would turn out like the rooftop meeting had. Would she agree simply because her sister said so? It didn't seem likely but these Girls were turning out to be highly unpredictable.

He thought he spied a small wounded look on Blossom's face before she assumed her cold mask again. Reluctantly she looked at her sister and nodded to her.

"Fine." She spat out. Brick felt a triumphant smirk grow on his face.

Bossy noticed it and scowled at him. "But if we're splitting up then we'll go in three teams of two. Buttercup's with you, Bubbles is with Boomer, and I'm going with Butch."

Brick mentally raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't thought she'd give in that easily, and to think, the Green one could actually see reason. That was entirely unexpected, though not unwelcome. And as for the teams, he had no real problem with their assignments. In fact, he favored those teams as well.

It was obvious that Blossom wanted her toughest fighter with him in case he turned on them during the raid, but it also worked the other way around. Butch would be able to stop Pinkie should she decided to try something stupid. And he could easily out think the Green one if it came down to that. Blossom probably thought the same about Butch, and while that was true, Butch was resourceful. He had the luck of the devil to boot. He would be able to handle himself around Bossy just fine.

As for the blondes…well…if Boomer couldn't control a crybaby like Bubbles by himself then he would have to turn in his man card.

The major bonus to this team structure was the fact that he wouldn't have to be stuck with Bossy and her self-righteous attitude the entire mission. It was a win-win for everyone; of course he was the only one that really mattered.

Brick cleared his throat lightly and looked Blossom in the eye. "Alright, I'll agree to those teams."

Blossom looked at him, disgruntled, but he ignored her and bent down to retrieve his map. "Let's get on with it then."

* * *

"Stupid ass wind, just has to be so God damn cold."

Brick repressed the urge to sigh for what was probably the fiftieth time that day.

The group had managed to find a good ambush spot in an alleyway barely a mile from their target. The trucks could theoretically roll around the corner any minute. But could and would were vastly different from each other and that meant a lot of, what else, waiting. And as everyone in the group knew by now, Butch sucked at it.

"Seriously, next thing you know we'll be getting fucking snow." The Green Ruff grumbled as he shifted from foot to foot.

"Yes Butch, we know. Now shut your trap and stay silent. Or have you forgotten this was supposed to be an ambush?" Brick responded as he glowered at him.

The brunette gave him a scowl but mercifully followed orders and ceased his inane grumbling. That was one miniature annoyance handled at least. Now where were those God damn trucks?

The redhead fixed his attention back around the corner and looked for any signs of movement, but there were none. He felt a small bit of …not exactly nervousness, let's say an unease, about the all this waiting. According to his records and previous observations, the trucks should have been rolling down this roadway three minutes ago. What was taking them so long? They _were_ coming weren't they?

"Are you _sure_ there are trucks coming?" Blossom's prim voice eerily echoed his own inner doubts but Brick put on his best long suffering face and glared at her.

"Yes, I'm sure."

…mostly sure.

His counterpart gave him a doubtful glance but thankfully didn't press the issue with her superior, over bearing attitude. Thank the maker he wasn't going to be stuck with the witch during the mission. He could think of nothing closer to hell on earth than that.

The redhead checked his beaten up watch once more and noted the convoy was now _five_ minutes late. This was getting ridiculous; couldn't they keep a damn schedule? They were in the army for crying out loud! You'd think they'd adhere to some sort of time table.

Just as he was getting ready to start a silent cursing rant in his head, a rumble interrupted his thoughts. Brick took a quick peek around the corner before hastily retreating and signaling everyone to assume their positions.

Finally!

The reluctant teammates crouched down behind the various piles of trash littering the alleyway and watched as the troops started passing by them, barely ten feet away. Did these clueless idiots even know they were being watched?

Nope, not a clue, which was just what Brick wanted.

The trucks lumbered past and they waited until the last one came abreast of their position before making their move. One by one the group members silently left their cover and dashed to the back of the truck. It was a simple affair to hop in and stow away, it wasn't like they were moving very fast. In fact, Brick was sure a turtle could move faster.

Swiftly climbing up onto the truck bed, Brick mentally checked off the first phase of his infiltration scheme. The next phase would be them getting passed the gate without incident. Brick was hoping the recent attacks hadn't changed the gate guard's normal behavior of letting trucks go in without so much as a brief glance.

If they had changed…well he'd think of something if that happened.

Even though the trucks moved at a sluggish pace, they managed to arrive at the base's perimeter gate in a fairly reasonable time. The sun was just barely starting to touch the horizon line, lengthening the shadows and providing perfect pockets of cover throughout the base which would make sneaking around much easier.

A tense air that stole over the team as the truck they were on slowed down as it approached the gate. It rolled to a complete stop and Brick felt his fists clench tight.

'Keep moving, keep moving, come on.' He mentally chanted at the truck.

There were a few muffled voices outside and then a glove grabbed a hold of the tarp covering the back of the truck. Brick felt his heart skip a beat as he waited for the covering to be pulled back and his team to be revealed, but thankfully a voice called out and the glove disappeared from view before that could happen.

After a minute the truck hauled itself into motion again and they cleared the gate with none the wiser. Brick felt more than heard the sigh of relief his counterpart released as they entered their destination. The infiltration plan was a complete success, now they got to move onto the important stuff.

Destruction.

An evil smile inched across Brick's mouth at the thought.

The group waited with anxious excitement as the truck pulled to a stop and the workers got out. At first Brick worried that they would begin offloading the metal right away, but that proved to be an incorrect assumption. He kept forgetting that these guys were about as motivated to work as Butch was. You'd think he'd be used to it by now.

The worker's voices faded as they walked off and left the truck completely unattended. He couldn't have asked for a better circumstance himself. Last in the truck line and completely devoid of hostiles? If he celebrated Christmas, he would have felt like it had come early this year. He gave Blossom a cocky smirk, which she promptly ignored, and peeked outside.

The base was fairly standard from he could see. There were more buildings that stood inside the perimeter than most of the other outposts he had raided in the past. He supposed that made sense since there had to be someplace to put the robots while they waited for transportation.

And with the plethora of abandoned buildings lying about, there were more than enough to choose from. Why build new buildings when you could just gut the ones that were already there? It was lazy but it fit the Simian outlook on life perfectly.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Brick motioned the others to follow him as he hopped out the back and stole around the corner of a nearby building, sticking close to the shadows. The darkened area was devoid of life and offered the perfect place to go over some final details before they split up.

When the rest of the team joined him, Brick gave them a hard look.

"Alright, we're in." He whispered softly. "Remember your objectives. Buttercup." She straightened as he pointed his finger at her.

"You and I are going to stop the manufacturing capabilities of the robotic plant. Butch and Bos-Blossom." He barely managed to catch himself in time. Calling her by a nickname now would not be a good idea given what they were about to do.

She caught the slip up but let it slide with a glower. Butch stood grouchily next to her and even though a scowl was firmly planted on his face, he was watching Brick attentively.

"You two need to find and destroy the robots that have already been fabricated. I know-" He held up a hand as Blossom opened her mouth to object. "That you don't have any explosives, but you're supposed to be smart right? I'm sure you'll think of something. Besides you have Butch on your team. He can make anything blow up. Trust me." He muttered the last part with a roll of his eyes.

His pink eyed counterpart gave his brother a measuring look but gave in and nodded her head. It was small miracle she hadn't argued but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Brick turned to the last couple, both looking awkward and uncomfortable at having to stand by one another.

Well, they were just going to have to learn to deal with it like the rest of them.

"Boomer, Bubbles, you two are to find out any information you can. Maps, manifests, production schedules, anything that might be useful. Try to bring back hard copies if you can. Remember to stay out of sight and not get caught." The two of them nodded at him.

Finding that he had nothing else to really say, Brick looked down at his watch. "I'm giving everyone thirty minutes to get to their objects. That should give us all enough time to find our targets and get into position. Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads.

"Rendezvous here after your objectives are complete. Break." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked out into the darkness with Buttercup right behind him. A small thrill ran up his spine as he walked.

It was finally time to cause some mayhem.

* * *

**A/N: The first raid has officially begun! What did you guys think? Good? Bad? Indifferent? I personally loved writing this chapter because I finally got to make Brick the egotistical, snarky jerk face that we all know and love! It was so much fun to finally give him more than a cold personality to work with. Blossom is the one weakness in his calm and collected self-control and I love it! Hehehe.**

**Big thanks out there for all the new followers this week! Three new followers (rainbowstarofflight, XxberryzfanaticxXx, and denardra) and one new favorite (Dragonblaze66) Thanks a whole bunch guys! Following this story is a great way to catch any surprise mid week updates I may do (hint, hint)**

**Onward! Reviewer Recognition!**

**So I was blown away by all the reviews this week guys! Seriously, nine for one chapter?! That almost hits my goal of ten reviews for a chapter! Soon...**

**ROC95: Thank you! Good to know you enjoyed it!**

**Scourge: YES! I love making peoples day! I'm glad the general consensus has been positive on story length. I really thought I would scare people off with that but that doesn't seem to be the case :D Oh! And I checked out Touhou, you were talking about the games right? Hope so, cause I downloaded one...and then repeatedly died on just the first level. So hard! Anyway, glad you were thrilled with the conclusion of Act 1! Thanks so much for your continued support! It means a lot :D**

**The Cynic: Hehehe, love bringing joy to people (like santa claus!) I'm glad the premise of their loss of powers was believable. I had it in mind since the first chapter but I didn't have _exactly_ how it happened in mind. I happy you liked the closure and the revealed length of the story. Rest assured, much more fun is to come! Especially with the Greens *wink wink***

**NyanicornYay: Lol! Thank you! If it was squeal worthy then it must be true! **

**tweetybird99: Sweet! I'm glad it helped make your day! I love the idea of a yoga position focus solely on reading on the floor! I have no idea what it would be called, but I'm sure it would be genius. You should patent that my friend. Thank YOU for being committed in reviews! I will keep writing if people keep reading. Hope you liked the chapter!**

**Silent Reader: Ah! Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked the child POV, that was so much fun to write, a bit difficult but fun! I'm just glad it all worked and everyone seemed to like it! Thank you very much favorite Silent Reader :D**

**Lily975: Oh please, you're making me blush :D Kudos on the Powerpuff one shot! I left a review for you, which you probably have already seen. Anyways, thanks so much for your continued support! You make ME feel special as an author! I am so lucky to have committed reviews like you and everyone else! Seriously, you are totally awesome. Oh! And thanks for the author favorite :D**

**Devin Trinidad: So glad you liked the 10 year old POV. I'm glad you picked up on the misspellings and the word confusion. That was actually one of my favorite parts of the chapter. That and the tangents, it was just really fun to get in the mind set of a 10 year old and go to town. Happy that you mentioned it :) As for the whole working together business, well, you saw how well that's going this chapter. Hopefully it will start getting resolved soon but who can say? (I could, but that would be cheating and spoilers!)**

**Guest: Thanks! I appreciate the review!**

**So yes! Thank you all SO SO MUCH! I am blown away by how awesome you all are and the fact that you keep coming back week after week to read my writing. You guys have totally made this experience worth it and I hope to keep you coming back for more until this thing ends! (Which won't be for a very long time *looks at the rough draft and sweat drops* a very, _very_ long time)**

**Next Chapter: The Boys and Girls separate off into teams to tackle this base! How will they all work together? Well, you're just going to have to tune in next Saturday to find out! Have a good week guys!**


	30. Chapter 30 – Oh, Good Job!

Chapter 30 – Oh, Good Job!

Barely five minutes into their individual mission and Blossom knew this wasn't going to end well, and it wasn't just her feminine intuition telling her that. Butch had been nothing but a brat since they started off, glaring at her and generally acting like she didn't even exist. She knew he was going to be unpleasant to work with but she thought he'd at least be easier to handle than that annoying bastard Brick.

She was wrong.

At least Brick gave things some semblance of thought before he did them. She was certain Butch was choosing paths at random and walking at his whim, not even giving the slightest consideration as to where they were going. How in the world were they supposed to find the storage facility without some sort of plan? They could at least take a moment and look around the base first!

She had promised herself that she was going to take a back seat and let Brick and his brothers lead this mission to see how they acted, but that was a decision she was quickly coming to regret. Sure, Brick's infiltration plan worked to get them into the base, she refused to admit that it worked better than her own plan would have, but Butch's thought process wasn't like Brick's at all! Not that she really expected it to be, but she was hoping for some sort of method to his madness!

The fact was, he was leading them nowhere and they had a very limited window of time to get things done. It was time to intervene.

"Do you even know where you're going?" She hissed at the brunette.

He glared over his shoulder before ignoring her again.

Blossom huffed irritably to herself. He was turning out to be surprising like Buttercup with his stubbornness and she didn't have the pull with him that she did with her own sister. That would make things difficult; Buttercup could at least be reined in.

"I'm serious, where are we going?" She tried again.

"Do you ever stop talking?" The brunette muttered to himself and turned around another corner.

Blossom waited for him to continue but he didn't. Honestly, how was she supposed to work with someone who barely acknowledged her existence? She was beginning to think that working with Brick might have been the better solution here.

The pink eyed leader mentally smacked herself at the thought.

Did she seriously just consider Brick to be a better partner? What in the world was she thinking? She was letting the stress get to her. What she needed to do here was calm down and think things through clearly. There was a way to get Butch to listen, she just had to figure it out.

What did she know about him?

Butch respected power, that was obvious by the way he was cowed by Brick. In that regard he was also like Buttercup. Knowing that about his nature, he probably wouldn't listen to a word she said until she had proven herself to be someone worth listening too in his book.

That meant she was going to have to find this storage facility on her own while tailing Butch to make sure he didn't get into any trouble. Easier said than done but she had been in more precarious situations before.

Blossom looked around at the surrounding buildings as she snuck after Butch through the darkness. There really wasn't much to see in the gloom. All the buildings assumed dark visages and seemed to resemble each other. Nothing really stood out and screamed LOOK AT ME! I'M THE STORAGE FACILITY!

This was going to take longer than she thought.

She looked down at her watch and was surprised to see that only seven minutes had passed since they had broken off from the group. It felt like a lot longer, maybe that was just because of who she was partnered with. Fortunately, they still had plenty of time to find the storage building.

Up ahead Butch stopped abruptly and pressed himself into the shadows. Blossom unconsciously followed his lead and waited. A few seconds later a patrol of Simian guards walked past their hiding place. They didn't notice them thankfully, but it did cause Blossom's heart to race.

She wasn't used to this cloak and dagger stuff. Give her a control room and troop information any day.

Breath finally returned to her lungs as the patrol strolled off around another corner. Butch resumed his journey and crossed the intersection to another alleyway. Blossom took the opportunity to look down the road way and spotted something that immediately caught her attention. She paused just outside the mouth of the alley and looked closer at the building down the street.

It was big, at least five stories tall and it was as wide as half a city block. That wasn't what caught her attention though, it was the huge metal door that had been built into the front of the building that did.

"What? Have you forgotten how to walk? Hurry the fuck up." Butch's voice hissed from behind her.

She resisted the impulse to correct him on his language and instead point at the building.

"There it is. That's the storage building."

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that?" Butch asked in a snarky manner.

"Besides the giant hanger style door in the front? Look at all the troops around it. They're protecting something important. Something like a bunch of robots that are ready to be shipped out."

"You're totally guessing that!" His raised voice thankfully didn't draw any attention from the deserted street.

Blossom rolled her eyes heavenward and decided that arguing any further would only waste time. And there was no indication that Butch would even listen to reason anyway. So, she simply started down the roadway and gave Butch a choice to follow her or go on his merry little way.

By the muttered curse she heard from behind, he had chosen to follow. Smart Boy.

Blossom ducked down a side street as they neared the huge building. The front was too heavily guard to go in head on; they would have to find an alternate entry. That shouldn't be too hard to accomplish given the fact that most of the buildings here were old office buildings that had been repurposed. There had to be a back door or emergency exit that they could use.

The redhead stalked around the side of the building with Butch close behind, still muttering under his breath about dumb redheads and the like. She tactfully decided to ignore him and kept her eyes peeled for a way in.

She found it barely a minute later in the form of a broken window. It was dark and partially hidden in the shadows by the faint moonlight. There was a small patrol of troops that made a circuit of the building perimeter but they would be easy enough to avoid.

Pointing over towards the window, Blossom looked back at Butch. "There's our way in." She whispered.

"Our way into an empty building probably." He whispered back.

It was hard to contain her rising annoyance at the brunette. It really was.

Could he at least treat her like she wasn't the enemy? Was that too much to ask? Apparently for him it was. The way he kept glaring at her spoke volumes about his opinion of this alliance between them. She was going to have to take the high road here and try to be the better person. She was Powerpuff Girl after all, it was what she did.

But that didn't make it any easier.

It took what felt like forever for the patrol of Simian troops to make their route and move past the building corner, but once they did, Blossom bolted through the fading light and stole a quick peek through the broken window pane.

The inside was dark but she could make out some flickering light at the far side of the building. There were also hundreds of silhouettes catching the last bit of light through the window. A smile rose on her face as her suspicions were confirmed.

This was the storage facility! Eat that Mr. Doubtful!

Blossom gave Butch a superior smile and arched an eyebrow at him. Normally she didn't take pleasure in other's negative emotions but she'd make an exception just this once. His petulant frown was much too satisfying.

Butch didn't say a word, oh he glared, but he didn't speak. Instead, he shoved himself through the window with surprising agility and Blossom hurried to follow him. They sat crouched in the darkness for a second to let their eyes adjust to the dim light and then Butch was up on his feet. He started walking towards the rows of immobile robots with Blossom scrambling to catch up to him. Couldn't he at least wait for her or something?

"What are you doing?" She whispered at him as she grabbed his shoulder and forcefully turned him back around.

She should have remembered that this wasn't Buttercup because Butch obviously didn't like to be touched. He violently ripped his shoulder from her grasp and glared at her with his softly glowing green eyes.

"_I'm_ going to do what Brick told me too. I couldn't care less what the hell you plan on doing. Leave me alone and go save a kitten or something." He said with a less than quiet voice.

Blossom looked anxiously at the front of the building but thankfully the few workers up there seemed to have missed Butch's declaration. The redhead let a frown develop on her face.

They couldn't do this on their own; they had to work as a team. Why couldn't he get that? Why was he actively trying to sabotage this?! It wasn't even logical! Not in the least bit! Even Buttercup knew the value of team work, why didn't Butch? Surely he had to have worked as a team with his brothers?

"We need to work as a team Butch, if we don't try then there is no point to this truce."

"I don't see any damn point in this already! In fact, I'm pretty sure I'd rather rip off my own ears than be forced to follow _your_ orders!" He said in disgust.

She couldn't believe he was trying to bring this up _now_, in the middle of their mission for crying out loud! Was he totally inept? He had to be!

"I'm not ordering you around! I'm willing to follow your lead but you need to tell me what your ideas are so I can try and understand what it is you're doing!" Blossom growled back as her irritation rose to match Butch's.

"I don't need to tell you a damn thing! I don't care what Brick thinks, I ain't working with you!"

**Ugh!** What was with this guy? It was just like an argument with Buttercup but even more frustrating. The boy wouldn't listen to reason! She just wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him, but that would probably lead to a fist fight and completely blow their cover.

"HEY! Who's back there!" A new voice broke through the quarreling teammate's argument and they both realized that their voices had risen way passed an acceptable sneaking volume. "Bill, sound the alarm! We got intruders!"

Well…shit.

Butch and Blossom dove apart as gunfire started tearing up the ground they occupied less than seconds before. For some reason the first thing Blossom did was look down at her watch, never mind that they were being fired upon. She was not pleased by what she saw.

Thirteen minutes, that's all the time that had passed since they broke off from the main group.

Alarms started ringing outside the building and Blossom felt her stomach sink with the realization that they had just effectively broken any element of surprise they had, not only for her and Butch but for the rest of the team as well.

She looked over at Butch from her cover and saw a look of 'oh shit' on his face too.

This was bad…and it was all _his_ fault!

* * *

This was turning out far better than Brick had expected, in fact, he was almost willing to raise his opinion of the she-man. He risked a glance at the Green Puff from the corner of his eye.

They were both crouched behind some crates at the top of a stairwell. Simian workers moved past them every so often but failed to realize their presence. Buttercup was eyeing the workers as they walked by, ready to take action if one did somehow stumble upon them.

He was surprised; she had actually been useful in gaining entry to the production plant. He would admit that she was a better fighter than he was now that her arm was out of a sling and she was no longer handicapped. He might even say that she could give Butch a run for his money and that was saying something.

All it had taken was a quick ambush and a few hidden corpses to gain them entry into the production plant. So far it seemed that no one had even realized that their door guard was AWOL. Brick had honestly thought that the Puff would abhor killing the 'innocent' but she didn't raise any objections as they tore through the guards.

In fact, she had been silent the entire time, simply following his orders and watching for danger. It was refreshing in a way, so thoroughly unlike his brother. She hadn't rushed out to attack the troops or toyed with them like Butch would have done. It was…nice.

Ew, he couldn't believe he just thought that, but it was true to a point. Barely ten minutes into their mission and they were poised to finish it.

The two of them were position only a few feet away from the production plant's control room on the second floor. The idea of how to disassemble the plant had come to him when they entered, all he needed was an opening into that room and then victory was pretty much assured.

Brick felt a light tap on his arm and glanced back at his unlikely companion. Buttercup looked around once to make sure they were alone before she addressed him.

"What are we doing up here? Shouldn't we be destroying those assembly arms?" She pointed ahead of them to the network of conveyor belts littering the plant.

It was almost spider web like in its construction. Belts carried scrap metal from three different entry points on the building perimeter towards the huge furnace at the center of the room. The metal was melted down and then poured into hundreds of different molds, also on conveyor belts.

The parts were then carted off towards their various stations for electronic fittings and such by robotic assembly arms, each station overseen by a Simian worker. There were possibly hundreds of arms and dozens of stations. Attacking those would take forever.

Brick shook his head at Buttercup and pointed at the arms. "That would be ineffective, not only would our cover be blown but we don't have enough firepower to decommission them all at once. We would be overrun with troops before we got through a quarter of them."

"Then what are we going to do?" She asked in annoyance. Obviously the girl didn't like being kept in the dark.

He debated on keeping his plan from her, but she _did_ side with him over her sister. Never mind the fact that she was only doing that out of self-preservation instincts, it still counted. And the tactical side of his brain was reminding him that hell hath no fury like a women scorned. He needed to keep her 'happy' if this operation was going to be pulled off successfully.

Brick sighed and gestured over to the control room. "You see that?"

She nodded with a 'duh' look on her face.

"That contains the master controls for all the assembly instructions being sent to those robotic arms. When we get in there, we subdue the supervisors and I'll hack the computers. It should be easy enough to alter a few of the instruction and have the system start making the attack bots incorrectly. With any luck, it will be a while before anyone notices the instructions have been tampered with. At that point, we'll of course be long gone." He finished with a tiny smirk.

"How do you intend to hack into the computer? I don't have any equipment for that." Buttercup asked as she shifted her weight.

Brick arched an eyebrow at her. "I don't need any equipment, you're forgetting who taught me how to program and build computers."

The brunette gave him a blank look and he felt like slapping a hand on his forehead. Note to self, analytical thinking wasn't one of her strong points. It was probably too much to ask that she would be totally unlike his brother. They were counterparts after all.

"_Mojo_, he taught everything he knew about computers. Hacking into these will be as easy as taking candy from a baby." Brick said as he glanced back at the control room, missing the look of realization dawning on Buttercup's face.

The way between them and the control room was empty. It was time to act. "Come on."

He ran at a crouch and quietly came to a stop just outside the door. Peeking inside, Brick saw six workers at the various computer consoles inside. They were unfortunately situated in such a way that he and Buttercup would only be able to reach three of them before the shock wore off. That would leave the others with enough time to sound an alarm.

A frown settled on his face as he tried to think of a solution. A quick glance at his partner showed her frowning at the door as well, he would be getting no help from that department.

Hmm, there had to be a way to get those workers to group together near the door. Maybe a bait ploy? He grimaced at the thought, it was risky. They could sound the alarm at the first appearance of anything suspicious.

What to do, what to do?

**WWWwwwwweeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooo**

Brick nearly jumped out his skin as the base alarm abruptly started whining. He heard a muttered curse and felt a hand grab his jacket and pull him back. Instinct took over and he turned to punch his captor.

Only to have Buttercup smack it away with an annoyed frown and pull him behind a stack of barrels. He was about to ask what in the world she thought she was doing when she shushed him.

Him! _Shushed_ him! How dare she!

But the reason soon became clear as the catwalk was suddenly filled with people running to and fro.

…Oh, well he was just going to ignore this incident.

Brick watched with calculating eyes as all the workers on their level hurried to make their way towards the stairs and scramble down it. A quick look down at his watch showed that only thirteen minutes had passed since the individual missions had begun.

Thirteen minutes…someone had messed up his plan and he was pretty sure who it was.

Brick struggled to contain his rising irritation and instead took a deep breath. It was only after he released it that he noticed he was now alone. He looked around but found no signs of Buttercup.

Where had she run off too?! She was just here less than five seconds ago! Why was she picking now as the time to become an annoyance? _Women!_

A small cry caught his attention and Brick moved away from his hiding place. The catwalk was empty of workers so he cautiously approached the control room and peeked inside.

Buttercup was hauling up the body of an unconscious Simian worker as he entered and gave him a haughty smirk. "All done there thinking to yourself Hat Boy? Then get at those computers. We don't have much time."

Hat Boy? And what did she think she was doing? Ordering him around like that! He was the leader here!

…Still, she did have a point…damn it.

He sent her a brief spiteful glare, which she didn't see as she hid her burden behind some desks, and walked up to the consoles.

There were some familiar looking things, that was good. He could figure out the rest as he went. Time was of the essence now that their cover had been partially blown. Besides, it wasn't too hard to mess something up with coding. The tricky part would be messing it up without it _looking_ like it was messed up.

Let the fun being.

* * *

Bubbles glanced out from around the corner she was hiding behind. The coast appeared to be clear… well clear enough. Ducking back around, she motioned to her silent partner and they scurried across the roadway towards the buildings on the other side.

A few blocks more and they would hopefully be at the base's administration building. It was really just a guess on her part, but the tall building isolated on the far side of the base was as good a place to start as any. Boomer hadn't offered any suggestions or complaints about her decision.

In fact, he hadn't really said anything at all. He kinda just…followed her, like a puppy. She had sorta expected the silence given her previous encounters with him but she thought that would have changed now that they were allies.

Obviously she had thought wrong.

On the bright side, that made him easier to work with. Just imagining working with either of his brothers caused a shiver to run down her spine. Yes, Boomer was a much better alternative to those two. Even if he didn't talk.

But that wasn't important now! She was on a mission, she needed to focus! Focus, focus, focus. She could do this, it was just a simple scouting run…but with a bit more danger than she usually faced. Okay, a lot more danger.

That fact was driven home as she watched a pair of armed guards walk past her hiding spot behind a truck. At least they weren't Collectors. Ehh. That thought also caused another shiver to run down her spine.

Bubbles gave her head a little shake as they began moving through the shadows again.

She really needed to stop doing this self-reflection thingie when she was on missions. It was really distracting and she was pretty sure Brick would blow a gasket if she blew their cover. Blossom probably would too.

A small smile graced the blonde's face as they approached their target. At least they had made it without causing an incident so far. Bubbles was pretty sure this was the building they were looking for.

It was big enough to seem important and all the windows covering the front of it made it look a lot like an office type building. The few jeeps parked out front and the Simian Empire flags flying proudly in the breeze also help support her suspicions. And then there were the guards, all ten of them lining the building by the set of double doors blocking entry.

Great.

"Well that way in won't work. You see anything?" She asked her mute counterpart as she looked back at him.

He blinked a few times at her, as if registering the fact that yes, she did just ask his opinion. Boomer looked towards the buildings for a few seconds before pointing at the right side.

"Might be a side entry." He mumbled.

Oh! An answer! She hadn't really thought she'd get one. They were making progress! Bubbles offered him a smile and a nod.

Encouragement, that's what he needed to open up a little. She had no idea why she wanted him to open up more…maybe she just didn't want to feel like she had a mime traveling around with her all the time. There had to be at least some communication between them if they were to be allies.

Call it her inner nature, but she was going to get him to talk more. It was a spur of the moment decision but it felt right. She was going to try and get him to say something every time they were together.

Besides, he seemed like he needed a friend. Bubbles didn't quite know how well they would get along seeing as they had been enemies for as long as she could remember, but she would try. She had to do everything in her power to help make this alliance work, she couldn't let Blossom down.

With her inner declaration made, she followed Boomer as he crept along the shadows towards the side of the administration building. It was a lot emptier than the front, only two guards walked the cramped space between buildings. And there, underneath a singular light, was a door into the building.

Bubbles felt smile grow on her lips. This was exactly what they were looking for! It would be easy enough to subdue the guards and sneak through the entrance. Hopefully they wouldn't have guards covering the door from the inside, but that was a risk they were just going to have to take.

The two Blues snuck down the darkened corridor towards their unsuspecting prey, but right as Bubbles was giving Boomer the go ahead nod, the base alarm let out a deafening cry.

Bubbles was almost positive she squeaked in surprise, but thankfully the sound caught everyone off guard and none of the enemies noticed her slip.

Boomer looked at her questioningly and gestured down at his watch. Bubbles leaned over and saw that barely any time had passed since the teams had broken up, not even fifteen minutes! What was going on? Did someone get found out?

A pit of worry began to develop in her stomach as she thought about her two sisters, alone with their disreputable partners inside a now alert enemy base. This was not good.

Before she could delve into a worry-fest, Bubbles felt a tug at her jacket and saw Boomer motioning towards the door. The guards had ditched their post after the alarm started whining and left the entrance wide open. It was the clearest route they were going to get.

Boomer un-sheathed his bat and looked at her with an arched brow.

Right, she had to do her part first, she could worry afterwards. Deep breath in…and out. Bubbles regained her center and pulled out her cleaver. With a nod, Boomer raced up to the door and kicked it in.

'That was one way to make an entrance.' Bubbles wryly thought as she followed him through the door.

The inside was guarded by only two Simian troops. Boomer was already dealing with the first as he brought he bat down hard on the poor guard's uncovered head, causing him to drop boneless to the floor.

Bubbles let her training take over and ignored the two of them to jump at the other trooper. One quick, clean slice and a line of red bloomed from the security's guard's neck as he too crumbled to the ground.

The blonde winced as she tried not to look at the life she just stole and instead searched her surroundings.

The corridor they had entered stretched down the building but was thankfully empty of anymore hostiles. Most of them had probably been drawn away by the alarm. Well, that was going to make their job easier, they wouldn't have to be as sneaky. That meant they could find their objective quicker.

A movement to her right caused Bubbles to look over and see Boomer step up beside her. He subtly looked at the guard she had just given a red necklace to but didn't comment.

Thank the Maker, she didn't want to face the implications right now. Instead, he gestured towards the hallway with a nod of his head.

"Right, let's go see if we can't find the person in charge." Bubbles said as the two set off. They didn't have a whole lot of time left.

* * *

**A/N: And chapter 30! DONE! We're getting into the nitty gritty of the raid now. Unsurprisingly, Butch as already blown their cover. Who didn't see that coming? So how are Blossom and Butch going to get out of the mess they have found themselves in? Well, you're just going to have to wait a week to find out :D...I'm so mean sometimes hehehehe.**

**Hi to all the new favoriters out there! DawnRed, kuku88, and LegeadiaTheHuman! Thanks for the favs and follows! Welcome to the gang!**

**Reviewer Recognition: **

**First off...TEN REVIEWS IN ONE CHAPTER! OMG! Super happy fun dance! You guys rock! Seriously, totally awesome.**

**Scourge: I can relate, egotism gets to me so badly but it just works so well for Brick! It's hard to dislike the cocky SOB. He'll get better as time goes on, promise! As for how the Greens and Reds get along, well...yeah. Lol! The answer, not too well. If Butch wasn't such a drama llama then _mayb__e_ it could have worked between him and Blossom. _Maybe._ Oh! I didn't have anytime to check out Touhou this last week cause I was swamped with stuff, but I have plenty of free time coming up this week so it will get watched! One way or another! Much thanks Scourge!**

**Lily975: It was no problem! I love helping others out and you're one of my best reviewers! :D I really liked the concept too, so cute! As for the whole Brick and Blossom romance thing, I can honestly say I have no clue that it will happen or not. I have the rough draft all planned out but during my actual writing process my story seems to take a mind of its own. So it could possibly happen. They will come to understand each other as friends though, that's about as much concrete info as I can give you right now. As for the seeing how many people have favorited you, I'm not sure you can see it. I tried looking but I couldn't find any place in the menus to check. Sorry *shrug***

**Guest #1: Thank you! During the raids I'll have a section for each of the teams so everyone can get a bit of their favorite character in there, but during the down time between raids there will be color specific chapters. The Blues have some super cute ones! :D**

**Guest #2: Thank you! I love Buttercup's reactions as well, so much fun to write! Her's and Butch. **

**The Cynic: Now that Blossom and Brick are going to be forced to work with each, there's going to be a whole lot more egotism to go around. And arguments Oh the arguments! It'll be fun. I knew that Buttercup intercession would surprise some people, but I wanted to show how she's grown in the last decade. She is a hardened soldiers so I figured that in a battlefield setting, her prejudice would take a back seat to survival instincts. She has grown up _some what._ Off the field, well that's another story. Thanks for the review!**

**tweetybird99: Thank you so much! I loved that line. There is usually one or two lines that I put in each chapter that just make me chuckle out loud. I'm glad somebody else find them too. And yes, Boomer's starting to change! Oh oh oh! Just you wait! I'd tell you more, but I like being a bit evil. :D :D :D**

**ROC95: Thank you! And thank you for your continued reviews!**

**Silent Reader: Thank you, thank you very much. It always brightens my day to get a review from you! Hoped you liked today's chapter!**

**LovelyAngle: Welcome new reviewer! To answer your questions, yes there will be some romance in her but it mostly an action story focused on character growth and what not. The Greens and Reds will _eventually_ learn to work together and stop hating each other with the passion of a thousand suns, but that's a long ways off. There has to be some major stuff going down to get them to change their opinions of each other you know? Thank you so much for all the compliments, I strive to write this story as best I can. I want to bring something mature but still playful to the PPG section of fanfiction and it's good to know that I am accomplishing that so far. Thanks so much!**

**NyanicornYay: Glad you liked the teams, there will be different ones for all the different raids so you will get to see how each of the six react with the other. So much fun coming up! :D**

**Thanks again to all the reviews! I know I say this every time but you guys make this story totally worth writing. I don't think I could have come this far without all of you! :D **

**Next chapter: So Butch and Blossom blow their cover, Brick and Buttercup are trying to still be stealthy, and Boomer and Bubbles...well they're just trying to communicate with each other. How will it all turn out? You'll just have to find out next Saturday in chapter 31: Aggressive Interrogations! Same bat time! Same bat place! Peace out!**


	31. Chapter 31 – Aggressive Interrogation

Chapter 31 – Aggressive Interrogation

Bullets tinged off metal all around him as Butch rushed through a maze of mechanized assault robots of every size and shape. This was not how he had envisioned this mission going…okay, so he had totally expected to be shot at during some point in this whole ordeal, but he didn't think it would be _half the base_ shooting at him!

Seriously, he was pretty fucking sure it was half the base. There had to be over fifty guards at the front entrance of the warehouse firing at him and Pinkie. The only good thing about this predicament was that the soldiers ended up hitting more of their own robots than him.

A few bullets had skimmed dangerously close to his arms and legs, but so far he hadn't taken any real injuries. Pinkie seemed to be getting along fine too, if the way she was shouting at him was any indication.

"What possessed you to start yelling during a _secret_ mission?! Did you forget the meaning of stealth or something?!" The redhead spat as she ran beside him.

Butch scowled at her. "I didn't forget anything! If you hadn't been trying to micro manage every little thing and order me around, Miss Perfectionist, than I wouldn't have gotten pissed off!"

"Oh so now this is my fault?!"

"You bet your ass it is!"

"No way! If you had actually told me what the hell you were doing then we wouldn't be in this predicament! And I never tried to order you around once!"

They raced towards the very back of the warehouse where the larger robots were stored. All the while, the gunfire behind them had steadily picked up in tempo as more and more troops poured in through the hanger doors.

This was not looking good in Butch's book. Even he wasn't stupid enough to think they could make it through that amount of fire unharmed. There had to be something here they could use to their advantage.

The brunette cast his eyes about for inspiration as Blossom continued to screech at him. He blocked out her annoying voice as his vision landed on one of the large robots standing in front him.

At fifteen feet tall it stood head and shoulders above normal sized humans. There was also a small, cramped looking cockpit situated where the head would normally be. A brief glance was all Butch needed before a slightly crazed idea formed in him mind.

He skidded to a halt with a wicked smile. Blossom continued on for several more meters before she noticed the object of her ranting had stopped. She looked like she wanted to strangle him as she turned back and glared.

"What are you doing?! We have to move!"

Butch gave her one small glance and then turned towards their salvation with a smirk. "I'm going to complete my mission."

With that, he started scaling the mechanized unit as fast as he could. The gunfire was still ringing out around them and the sooner he got to the safety of bulletproof glass, the better.

As he scrambled into the small cockpit he noticed that Pinkie had followed his lead and, much to his chagrin, was climbing up into her own robot with much more grace than he was.

'Damn showoff. Hey look at me! I can climb this robot like a f-ing ballerina!' Butch scowled at nothing in particular as he settled himself in and looked at the foreign controls.

There were so many God damn buttons! Where was the fucking on switch? There had to be one around here somewhere! How else were these shit for brains Simian troops able to pilot them?

Butch randomly punched a couple buttons on his right side and mechanical hum shook the mech. It was two seconds later that a pair of rockets shot off from the arm mounted canon and arced towards the warehouse entrance. A grin erupted on his face as the troops scrambled to avoid the flying explosives. They packed quite a punch too, the ground shook as they detonated and Simian troops ran in terror.

Ahh, nothing like destruction in the evening!

Butch's moment of triumph was cut short as a bullet ricocheted off a nearby robot and skimmed the side of his arm. Those damn things were getting way too close for comfort. Where was the freaking joystick that moved this hunk of metal?

A thrum of moving gears and machinery next to him caused Butch to look over and gape in shock as the robot Blossom had commandeered rose from its resting position and started walking towards him. She had also figured out how to raise the protective shielding around the cockpit.

How the hell had she done that? Damn it! He couldn't let her show him up like this!

Butch looked back down at his console and frowned as he once again tried pushing random buttons. Well, there were the machine guns…and that was the chainsaw attachment on his arm…who knows what the hell that one did. Gah! Where was the freaking shield button? Why didn't these jackasses label these damn things!?

The brunette looked up briefly from his frantic button pushing and saw that his annoying companion had managed to fire off her rockets towards a group of robots just in front of the bedlam of soldiers at the entrance. The resulting explosion took out a nice chunk of the troops and gave them a small reprieve from the constant stream of fire.

Damn it! That was supposed to be him doing that! He was the explosives expert here! Damn Pinkie showing him up!

The Green Ruff aggressively pushed another button and was rewarded for his efforts as whoosh hissed out behind him and the shielding for the cockpit finally appeared. Just in time too, as a small explosive round hit his robot head on. Butch gritted his teeth as the robot rocked violently.

Fucking A! This thing better not blow up now that he had just figure out how to get the damn canopy up!

A light flared on beside his right knee and with a crackle Blossom's voice projected into the cockpit.

"Butch? Butch can you hear me?" Her voice crackled through the speakers.

What the hell? These things had comm systems? How was Pinkie figuring these things out?! She had to have done this before.

The brunette huffed irritably but replied despite his urge not to. "Yeah, yeah I hear you. Whadda ya want? I kinda busy." He growled as he once again looked for the movement controls.

"Push the blue button towards your right, just above your eye level." She commanded.

He really didn't want to do it. Accepting her help? Yech, why not just put him in a tutu and call him Princess Butch while she was at it. He knew he could figure this junk out if he had more time…but he didn't.

It was with an aggravated sigh that he did what she said and a mechanical whirl caught his ears. From underneath his seat two joysticks emerged and folded out in front of him.

Son of a bitch! No wonder he couldn't find 'em! Fucking cheaters. Hiding things like that.

"The buttons on your left side control the weapons, the buttons on the middle right are your movement boosters, and the buttons on your far right are communication controls. The pedals on the ground make you go forward and backwards and the joysticks control the arms."

"How the fuck did you figure this out?" Butch mumbled before he could stop himself.

"Call it women's intuition, now let's give these Monkey's a taste of their own medicine." With that, his comm system dimmed and he saw Blossom's robot advance towards the line of troops. They balked at the incoming torrent of rockets and high velocity lead flying their way.

At least he could take out his aggression on these pathetic excuses for human beings. Brick was always saying he needed to deal with his anger in constructive ways. And constructive was technically only three letters away from destructive.

Close enough.

With a smirk Butch stepped down on the gas pedal and twitched the joysticks. The robot lurched forward and its arms swung out. With a quick twist of his wrist and a heave, he snagged a nearby robot and sent it hurling towards the masses.

Now this was more like it! Time for some fun!

* * *

**ACCESS DENIED**

The blinking letters on the screen were mocking him, he just knew it. It was really taking all of his will power to not crush the insolent object in front of him into ten million pieces. Brick growled as he tried to hack the terminal _again_.

This was the sixth time he had failed to gain entry into the production plant's computer system and he was getting pissed off. It shouldn't have been this hard! For crying out loud half the assholes that worked here were morons! There seriously should have been a 'push here to access computer' button!

The redhead type a few more keys before jabbing the enter key with a little more force than necessary and waited to see if computer would start cooperating.

… **ACCESS DENIED**

Mother fucking piece of shit!

Clenching his fists in frustration, Brick backed away from the terminal for second to calm down before he broke something. This was just a computer, just a stupid machine. He was not going to let it get the best of him.

Deep breath in…and out. In…and out.

He needed to regain his self-control, going Butch on this God damn piece of technology would only set him back even more. In…and out. He took one more deep breath and gritted his teeth as he approached the computer again.

This time, it was going to work. It _was_ going to work. Or so help him…

"If you're going to break into that thing, now would be the time to do it." Buttercup called back to him.

Brick looked over her way and saw her peeking outside the door towards the walkway beyond with a pistol in her hand. Huh, she must have obtained it while this stupid ass workstation was mocking him. Then he noticed the worried frown on her face. That probably didn't mean anything good.

"Why's that?" Brick asked as he turned back to towards the terminal and started typing again.

"Cause we're about to have company." Buttercup replied as she fired off a few rounds into the approaching group of Simian lackey's.

Great, as if this computer wasn't being difficult enough, now he was out of time. This code better work. Brick hit the enter key once more and waited with baited breath.

…**ACCESS DENIED**

Oh come on! Couldn't this damn thing give him a break?

The gunfire tripled as the Simian workers began retaliating against Buttercup's assault. Hot lead shot into the room and passed dangerously close to his head. Brick cursed and risked a glance at the doorway. Buttercup was using the doorjamb as cover while she traded fire with their hosts. From his position, he could only see five or six of them. It didn't seem like a lot of hostiles… that could change very quickly however.

He turned back and glared at the screen, pulling the keyboard close. One more time, he'd try it one more time and if this didn't work…

The heated barrage of bullets was picking up as it sounded like more enemies joined the fray. He hoped Buttercup could hold out with that dinky little pistol. He'd never seen her in a gun fight but he was hoping she was as adapt at it as she was at close quarters combat. He also hoped she was smart enough to conserve her ammo.

The Ruff Leader beat down on the keys and tried the last few lines of code he could think of. With some trepidation, he pushed down on the enter key and clenched his fist as he awaited the computer's response.

…

…

…**ACCESS GRANTED**

**Yes!** If he was the type prone to emotional outbursts he would have thrown his arms up in the air. Instead, he allowed a small smirk to grace his features. That was cut short however, as an impact tackled him from the side and caused him to tumble to the ground.

Buttercup rolled off him the moment they hit the ground and fired over the desk at the Simian workers as gunfire sprayed the area he had occupied just moments before. Damn it, that was the second time she had done something like that. It was getting down right irritating.

The Green Puff released the clip in her pistol and let it clatter to the floor as she loaded another. "This is my last one, get your ass in gear and finish whatever the hell you were doing."

Normally he would take offense to blunt demands like that, but now was not the time to dwell on such things. Brick carefully raised his head and peered at the computer sitting oh so innocently on its console. Pulling the keyboard towards him, he began trying to find the blasted assembly control program.

For most people it would be rather difficult to focus on one's objective when small, heated balls of lead zoomed dangerously close to your person at a velocity faster than the speed of sound, but Brick wasn't like most people. The firestorm around him barely even registered in his mind as he deftly typed away, focusing on nothing but his mission. Seconds or minutes could have passed by as he navigated through folders and files. He gave it no notice.

It was only as he found the program for the assembly line that his concentration was broken. Buttercup fell back behind the counter with a curse, jarring him from his 'zone'. Her face was scrunched up in pain and she was clutching at her side as blood leaked through her fingers. It had also splattered on his keyboard which was annoying.

She had been shot…great. Now she would be a burden instead of an asset. Just what he needed.

The redhead had briefly stopped his work and stared at her. How was he going to finish this altering this code _and_ make sure she didn't die while avoiding the surprising amount of bullets flying his way? Shit, this was bad.

Buttercup looked up at him with gritted teeth and a glare. "What? Hurry the fuck up so we can get out of here." She growled and lifted up her pistol, firing blindly over the countertop.

With any luck she might actually hit one. There weren't many left from what he could gather with his quick glance at the doorway. She was better with a gun that he had originally thought. Not so good at the not getting hit part though.

Brick crouched down lower as bullets ricocheted off the dash in front of him. He had to finish this up quickly if he hoped to retain any of his personal well-being…and he supposed the Green Puff's too. If she got too messed up then Bossy would no doubt screech at him and somehow blame him for the whole thing. That was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

With that thought pushing him onward, Brick looked at the screen and began analyzing the program on it. It wasn't too complicated, if he changed that line there…and there, and that one there.

Brick lost himself into the world of code as the firestorm above him continued to rage on.

* * *

**Thud!**

Bubbles winced as the unconscious man in front of her hit the ground loudly.

Dang it!

He had somehow slipped out of her grasp. She quickly looked up and down the hallway but thankfully the commotion didn't seem to have alerted anyone. That wasn't one of her better takedowns.

Sliding her arms underneath her fallen opponent, Bubbles dragged him to the nearby closet Boomer was holding open for her and dropped him in. It was tight fit, but then again she really wasn't supposed to care if he was comfortable or not, he _was_ the enemy after all. Dusting off her hands, she gave Boomer a nod and they were on their way again.

Surprisingly, the building had been mostly empty as they stalked through hallway after hallway. Whatever had triggered the alarm had done a great job of garnering attention. They were already through the second floor and were about to make their way up the stairs towards the third. At this rate, they'd be done searching the building within the next five minutes.

Now if only they could find something of value.

Even though this building had looked promising on the outside, it was woefully empty on the inside. Most of the rooms seemed to be unused and those that were used didn't have any sort of information things that looked important. If they didn't find anything on the next floor they would have to pick another building and start the process all over again.

That was a setback she _really_ didn't want.

The Blue duo climbed the last of the stairs and peeked around the corner, but not a soul blocked their way. With a shrug, Bubbles cracked open the first door and risked a glance inside.

Another storage room. Dang it.

The blonde let a frown grace her normally pleasant features as she looked to her partner. Boomer opened up a door across the hallway and looked inside. After a few seconds, he backed out and closed the door with a shake of his head.

Another dud. This was turning out to be more annoying than she originally thought it'd be. You'd think they have some filing cabinets or a computer room or something around here.

Bubbles moved on to another door but as she went to open it, something caught her eye. Situated at the end of the hallway were a set of extravagant double doors. They had the fancy gilded scroll like thingies on it and everything.

Now what could be behind there? Something of value surely, why else would something like that be in a building like this? It was probably some big shot's office and that meant information…well, it usually meant information. Couldn't hurt to try it though.

The blonde Puff taped her counterpart on the shoulder and pointed at the doorway. He looked at the door curiously before nodding to her. Together they crept towards it as quietly as a pair of mice. Putting her ear to the door, Bubbles thought she heard some faint typing going on but that was all.

'One person.' She mouthed at Boomer while holding up a finger.

He gave her a nod and mouthed back 'On three.'

Bubbles took a quick breath and watched him count down.

One.

Two.

Three.

They exploded into the room and caught the occupants completely off guard. It turned out there was more than one. Thankfully the small group of robots standing at attention near the door appeared to be as caught off guard as the man sitting behind the desk at the room's far end.

The first attack bot fell to Boomer's bat and clattered to the floor as Bubbles pounced on the second and swiftly cut its primary connection circuits. The last robot managed to get off a couple of shots at them before Boomer knocked its head clear off its shoulder and sent it flying across the room. It sailed over the nice, expensive looking desk and crashed into the set of bay window. Surprisingly, it didn't break through. Must have been bulletproof glass or something.

It did make the cowering man behind the desk squeal like a girl though.

With the primary threat neutralized, Bubbles put on her best scowl and advanced towards the man. He was pretty forgettable looking. Average black hair, dark eyes, and a slightly puffy looking face. The paunch around his middle suggested that he spent most of his time as a desk jockey.

With any luck, he might know where to find the information they were looking for. It was time to get some answers. Kicking the rolling chair away, Bubbles stared down at the man silently. He cringed and tried to avoid her bright blue eyes.

"Are you the Overseer of this base?" Bubbles asked in a calm voice.

The man winced and turned his head away, only to look right at Boomer's stony face. The blonde man could be rather intimidating when he didn't hunch his shoulders and try to sink into his hoodie. Right now he stood tall and stoic, glaring down at the man without emotion. It had the desired effect as the man quickly turned back towards her and offered a shaky nod.

"Perfect, then we're going to have a nice little chat. Boomer, get the door please." The Blue Puff said as she primly took a seat on the desk.

The Overseer whimpered as Boomer barricaded the door with one of the bookcases gracing the walls. He scampered lightly across the floor until his back hit the wall and he had nowhere left to go. Bubbles pinned him with her best imitation Blossom stare.

"Who do you get your orders from?" She asked in a low voice.

"Uh, um…" He stuttered as he watched her with wide eyes.

"_Who_ do you get your orders from?"

"I, I don't have to..to tell you anything." He tried to say with a brave face.

Bubbles resisted the urge to sigh and slowly pulled out her knife. It was time for some aggressive measures then, Buttercup style.

She held the knife loosely in her hand and took a moment to examine it. She never really liked this kind of intimidation but they didn't have much time and sweet talking wasn't going to get them anywhere.

"I'm only going to ask you once more. Who do you get your orders from?" Bubbles asked in a low voice as she dragged her finger across the blade's edge.

The Overseer swallowed nervously and kept his gaze on the knife. "…Ad-Advisor Kithrow." He answered quietly after a moment of deliberation.

"Kithrow? He's in the capital?"

He nodded silently, all while watching her absently twirled the knife between her hands.

"When was the last time he contacted you?" Bubbles asked as she felt Boomer move up behind her on the other side of the desk. That Overseer shrunk back even more and hesitated.

"A…a few weeks ago, I guess."

"And what orders did he give you?"

"I, I can't tell you that!"

"Really?" Bubbles quirked an eyebrow as she stood up.

Taking a step towards him, she crouched down and gazed in to his drab brown eyes. He tried to shuffle away from her advance but the wall once again blocked his way.

Bubbles internally winced at as she continued to lay on the act. Causing fear wasn't something she relished in but this wasn't about what she felt comfortable doing. This was about getting information and by golly, she was going to get it.

One way or another.

Slowly she drew the knife level with his eyes. "You _will_ tell me what your orders were."

A shiver visibly ran down his spine at her whispered words. "It-it was just to increase the production of T-32's! They want more robots okay!?" He half shouted half whimpered.

"Why?" Bubbles drew the knife away marginally.

"I don't know! They don't give me reasons, just orders!"

Bubbles frowned at him and sighed through her nose. He was so not being helpful right now. How much time did they even have until someone noticed all the ruckus and came to investigate? She needed to get some sort of information from this guy.

"..I…I heard that these orders came straight from the top, from the Great Emperor himself." The man muttered as he gazed at the retreating knife she held.

"Why?"

He held up his hands defensively. "I told you I_ don't_ know."

The Blue Puff brought up her knife again and leaned in close. "Then make a guess."

"I, I heard some rumors okay? No-nothing concrete, just rumors." He looked around fretfully, like someone was watching him. "There's talk of an army being built."

Bubbles lowered her knife and looked at him quizzically. "Mojo already has an army, a huge army."

The Overseer shook his head. "No, not like this. They're saying that this one will be made completely of robots. No humans what so ever. I've heard other facilities around here have been making more bots as well."

"Which ones?" Bubbles asked.

"I don't know! Like I said, these are only rumors I've heard you know? Everything's being kept quiet."

Bubbles frowned at him again and brandished her knife. The overseer cringed back and made a plaintive moan.

"That all I know! Really! I just follow my orders, please don't kill me!"

After a moment of observing the quivering man, Bubbles sighed and got to her feet. He was done. She could tell he wasn't lying, he really didn't know any more. She tried not to let the disappointment show on her features as she looked down at the cowering man.

This wasn't exactly what she had been hoping for, in fact she had been hoping for a lot more information than some half formed rumors. Dag nabbit, Brick and Blossom were not going to be pleased.

…but there still might be a way to salvage this.

"Do you keep records on file?" She asked the Overseer.

He gave her a brief nod and point to the desk. "In, in there and that cabinet between the bookcases."

Bubbles gestured to Boomer to search the cabinet and then crouched down next to the nameless man.

"You've been sort of helpful, thanks." She said with a small smile…and then she clocked him over the head with the hilt of her knife.

Bubbles stuffed him under the desk and began to search through its contents. There seemed to be a lot of hand written notes on various subjects concerning the base: personnel disputes, maintenance issues, troop rotation…unfortunately there didn't seem to be anything about robot production though.

The blonde dropped her small pile of notes with a disappointed sigh and moved around the desk towards the cabinet where Boomer was scouring through. A sheet of paper caught her eye as she left though and caused her to backtrack.

Picking it up, she skimmed its contents and a small smile bloomed on her face. It wasn't much, just a set of coordinates but the small handwritten note taped to it was exactly what she was looking for.

"Deliver T-32 shipment on Dec. 12th."

Was this where Mojo was shipping all of his robots to? Could it be where he was raising his secret army of evil robots? If it was, then Bubbles may have just found the intel that could win them this war.

She snatched up the paper, carefully folded it up, and stuffed it into her pocket before meeting up with Boomer at the door. Bubbles looked at his backpack stuffed full of papers with a raised eyebrow. Boomer rubbed at the back of his head bashfully and then shrugged.

"I didn't know what Brick wanted, so I took all of it." He mumbled out and avoided eye contact.

"Might as well." Bubbles replied with a small smile, which he didn't see because he found the floor much more interesting.

Looking once more around the room, Bubbles made sure they hadn't overlooked anything. Head dude of the base questioned? Check. Papers and records gathered? Check? Stealth maintained? For the most part check.

The only thing left now was to meet back at the rendezvous point and get the heck outta Dodge.

"I think we're good to go, let's move."

Boomer gave her a nod and together they un-barricaded the door and set off.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 31 Done! Hope you all liked the action in this, the Boys and Girls are on their way to completing their raid but they're not out of the woods yet. **

**BIG thanks to all the new followers and favorites out there this week! RinAsougi-chan, Misei, and PlumpysWorld! Welcome aboard!**

**Reviewer Recognition!**

**ROC95: Hoped you enjoyed this chapter too! Definitely more confrontation and fighting! Same with the next chapter. Thanks for the review!**

**tweetybird99: Glad I could bring a few laughs to your day, I always try and throw in a few amusing lines of dialog in every chapter to keep it from getting too heavy. Thanks for the review buddy!**

**Lily: Glad this raid is proving exciting to read! And it only gets more exciting with this chapter, after all, Butch and Blossom are in a crap ton of trouble. As are Brick and Buttercup. How are they going to get out of it all you may ask? Just have to wait until the next chapter! :D Thanks for the review friend!**

**NyanicornYay: Lol, too true. I actually have a raid coming up where they will be paired together...it's pretty dang hilarious. But that's not for a little while so you'll just have to wait. I know, so evil to tell you now and then make you wait. Shame on me. Thanks for the review!**

**Scourge: Bam! More action and a good firefight for you! Hope you liked it. As for the teams, yeah they ain't working out very well huh? We'll see how it gets resolved in the next couple of chapters. There are still two or so more chapters dedicated to this raid so you won't have to wait long! Thanks for the review mate! Oh and I finally watched some Touhou, it's not bad. I only got around to the first episode but it was interesting. And on the subject of RWBY, yes I have seen it. Actually, a couple of my buddies work on the show so that's all they've been talking about the last month and a half lol. It's awesome to know that others are enjoying their work as well! Thanks for supporting them!**

**Guest: Lol, thanks. I never actually thought of them as a ship. I'm more of a color coded person myself but I can see where you're coming from. Thanks for the review!**

**RinAsougi-chan: Thanks so much! Welcome to the story, I'm glad you are finding it to your liking. As for Butch getting his act together...that might take some time and a lot of strongly word lectures from Brick. Until then, Blossom will just have to pick up the slack to get them both out of there. Thankfully she's more than capable as she proved in this chapter. Thanks for the review!**

**The Cynic: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're liking the pairings and how their teamwork is playing out. And this is just the first raid! The other raids I have planned will have all different combinations of teams, so it will give me a chance to explore how everyone works together. Needless to say, I'm going to have a lot of fun writing it! Hehehe. **

**Silent Reader: Ahh! Thank you! Trust me, I know what it's like to have a favorite story and then it just goes blank. One of my favs only gets update once every six months to a year and it makes me so sad! Thus, I promised myself I wouldn't leave my readers hanging like that! I'm glad I'm able to bring a little bit of joy and excitement to everyone's Saturday mornings ;D Thanks for all your support and awesome reviews!**

**Misei: WOW! Thank you so much for the reviews! It really made my day! I hope you liked Blossom's part in this chapter, she'll be getting a section to herself in the next one too. So don't worry! She'll have a bigger part to play as we proceed further. I know she's kind of been out of the lime light so far, sorry for that. But it will get better! Promise! Thanks again for your lovely reviews! Hope you liked this chapter and have an awesome week!**

**Thanks guys for all the reviews this week! (OH so many!) And also to all you silent readers out there as well. You all are cool cats and I appreciate every single one of you! We are so close to 100 reviews! I've already decided to do a special 100 review mid week update so you won't have to wait long for the next chapter HOOZAH! **

**Up next: Chapter 32 - All the Buttons! Butch and Blossom will have to do something pretty drastic to get out of that death trap warehouse in one piece. And Brick and Buttercup aren't in too good a position themselves. How they gonna get out? Check back _this _Wednesday! Thanks guys! Have an awesome week!**


	32. Chapter 32 - All the Buttons!

Chapter 32 – All the Buttons!

Blossom's teeth rattled as her mechanized suit of armor shuddered violently. Warning alarms began ringing through the cabin, trying to tell her things she already knew. Yes, she knew she was getting hammered! The bad thing about being inside a large walking tank was the fact that it drew _all_ the enemy fire.

Again a series of high velocity, armor piercing rounds slammed into her and inside the cabin a siren wailed in distress. A panel by her hand started flashing urgently.

Armor integrity down to 32%.

This thing wouldn't take much more, if only that stupid turret gun hadn't been brought in.

The redhead growled lightly as she fired off the last of her short range explosive rounds towards the menace. The cluster of troops guarding the truck bound turret scattered as the explosive rounds neared but the turret methodically shot each one out of the air before it could reach it.

'Damn advanced targeting systems.' Blossom thought to herself with frown.

She struggled to move her mech to another position amid the wreckage of dozens upon dozens of destroyed robots, but it was proving rather difficult. A different glowing panel warned her that her left leg was nearly below 10% capacity and could literally snap at any moment. Not good, especially now that they were hauling in _another _blasted turret.

A rocket fired from behind her and sailed into the rafters just above the warehouse entrance. The structure shuddered from the impact and a large piece of the scaffolding snapped, falling to the ground below and crushing several Simian troops underneath it.

Blossom struggled to look out her cockpit shield as she maneuvered back and caught a brief glance of Butch before he darted through a column of inactive robots.

The clod had lost his mechanized tank less than five minutes after getting into it. To his credit, he had done a hell of a lot of damage just like Brick said he would, but that came at a price. Now he was restricted to the ground and woefully unprotected from any of the explosive rounds that were flying their way. One hit and there would be multiple pieces of Butch scattered all over the place.

So, of course, it fell on to her shoulders to take the brunt of the fire and protect his reckless ass. Grr, what a jerk wad.

Blossom yanked her robot to the side as a rocket propelled dangerously close to her. A wave of fire swept over the cockpit as it exploded and another series of warning bells began ringing through the cockpit.

"Alright already! I get it, I get it! I'm being blown to bits, thank you very much!"

Armor integrity down to 20%

She had to get out of here before this thing became her coffin. Thinking quickly, Blossom typed a series of commands into the movement and weapon controls before popping the splintered cockpit canopy.

It flew into the air with a hiss and Blossom leapt lightly after it. Rolling to the side, she barely managed to avoid getting squished as the lumbering robot processed her commands and began its kamikaze run. Hopefully that leg would last long enough for it to get close to the line of enemy soldiers. It wouldn't do any good if it exploded before it reached them.

The Simian troops focused their fire on the approaching hulk and gave Blossom a much needed respite to find some cover. She slid behind a toppled mech and took a second to observe their situation.

Butch was a few meters to her left, still popping off rockets at the roof rafters while her soon to be decimated robot drew all the enemies' fire. She hated to admit it, but she was impressed by Butch. He handled himself incredibly well in a fight…besides the whole losing his robot thing and his general asinine nature when it came to cooperating with her.

Grabbing an RPG and targeting the rafters? That idea hadn't even occurred to her. The fact that he came up with it and she hadn't irked her to no end, but as long as it was keeping those Simian troops at bay she wasn't going to complain out loud.

A majority of the warehouse had been destroyed during their brief fifteen minute fight. Robot parts littered the floor around her and fires burned precariously closer with each passing second. Gunfire pinged everywhere as bullets ricocheted off of metal and flew in random directions. It was a wonder neither her nor Butch had been hit yet.

How long would that last though?

Blossom bit her lip as she looked around the building for some form of escape route. The robots were all mostly destroyed and she considered their mission pretty much done. Now if only they could escape with their lives.

There really wasn't a good way to do that though. They had barricaded the back entrances earlier in the fight to prevent being flanked. Her idea, and though the Ruff had hated to to follow her order, he finally did so with a grudging respect. That act had probably saved their skins and helped them make it this long.

There was no doubt the Monkey's had this place surrounded and were just waiting for the moment when they would make a break for it to fill them full of lead. Nothing on the ground floor would be a safe option for retreat. Unfortunately, that didn't leave her with a whole lot of alternatives.

Blossom let out an aggravated sigh and allowed her gaze to wander. A large explosion rang out as her robot finally detonated and the warehouse quaked under the impact, the second story walkways swaying with it.

…Wait a minute, second story walkways! That was it.

The Pink Puff picked herself up off the ground and darted behind some crates to get a better vantage point. The walkways were tiny things, lining the entire length of the building and there, a few dozen meters to her left was a ladder up to them.

They could climb up and bust out a second story window. Chances were, from there they could climb over to a nearby building and find a safer place to descend to the ground.

Blossom thought over the plan once and then nodded to herself. It wasn't the best of options but it _was_ an option. Looking around quickly, she spotted Butch and dashed over towards him.

"Butch!" She hollered over the racket of gunfire.

He threw an annoyed glare over his shoulder at her before firing off another rocket. "Whadda ya want Pinkie? I'm sorta busy here."

The explosion shook the ground and a grin lit up his face. Blossom tried to ignore the maniacal gleam in his eye and leaned in closer.

"We need to get out of here before we're overwhelmed! I have a plan!"

The brunette's grin faded as he looked at her and then poked his head up from behind their cover. He swiftly crouched down again as hail of gunfire swarmed their position. A second later he gave her a disgruntled nod.

"Alright, out with it!" He spat.

Blossom pointed towards the ladder. "Once we get a break from their fire, we run to that ladder and climb up to the walkways. If we bust out one of those windows on the second floor we should be able to reach a neighboring roof. From there we'll have more room and a better vantage point to find a way out of this mess!"

Butch responded with another nod and pulled an explosive round from the open crate beside him. "This is my last round! When I fire it off, we book it!" He yelled as he held it up in front of her.

The redhead gave him a nod and watched as he loaded the round and waited. The second the enemy fire died down, Butch popped up and fired. The dense trail of smoke made her eyes water but it covered their retreat as both she and Butch dashed towards the ladder.

Blinking away the smoke induced tears, Blossom reached the ladder first and began scrambling up it with Butch close behind. They were almost to the top when the smoke died down enough for the Simian troops to start firing again.

Bullets pinged around them and from below Blossom heard Butch let out a vicious curse. Looking down, she saw the Ruff hanging by one hand from the ladder as blood dripped down his arm. With a grunt of pain, he managed to haul himself up the last few meters and allowed her to help pull him up.

"Can you keep going?" Blossom asked as she helped him stagger across the swaying walkway, bullets ringing out all around them.

"It's just a fucking shoulder. You set the pace and I'll follow Bossy." He replied through gritted teeth.

Blossom couldn't stop the displeased frown that her childhood nickname elicited. She really did hate that stupid name! Did he really have to bring it up now of all times?

No matter, after making sure Butch wouldn't fall without her support, Blossom let him go and began running towards the double wide windows at the far end of the walkway.

Turret fire ripped up the metal lined walls around them. Sparks showered down from the ceiling as bullets ripped open the tin roof. As she pelted along the walkway, a groaning sound caught her ear...right before one of the supporting chains snapped. The sudden, uneven footing nearly sent her head first over the railing.

Regaining her balance, Blossom didn't allow herself any time to think. Instead she rushed as fast as she could towards those damn windows and launched herself at them. Oddly enough, the sensations of sailing through glass windows wasn't as painful as she thought it would be.

It was the landing that really got her. Laces of fire arched across her arms and torso as the glass turning her into a human pin cushion were shoved painfully deeper. The air rushed out of her lungs and Blossom struggled to regain her breath.

A loud curse emanated from beside her as Butch hit the rooftop and staggered to his feet. In less than ten seconds, she felt a hand roughly grab her arm and haul her to her feet.

"Come on!" He said gruffly as he lurched forward.

Blossom strove to keep up as the brunette set a tough pace across the rooftop. Air was slowly trickling back into her abused lungs but it still hurt like a mother trucker. Regardless, there were much bigger things to worry about right now than a few bruised organs...like the shouting soldiers that were still down below.

Oh, please let there be an escape route somewhere down from here. She wasn't sure what she would do otherwise. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that but if it did.

...well, she'd just have to think of something else wouldn't she?

* * *

Brick almost missed the affirmative beep from his computer as gunfire filled the air around him. Popping his head up briefly, he allowed a small victorious smile onto his face when he saw that his code alterations were successful. There was also that small little virus that he had also snuck in there. His smile grew.

Mission accomplished…now to get the hell out of here.

Brick ducked back down behind the counter before he got filled with lead and plucked Buttercup's stolen pistol from her hand. He ignored her frustrated protests as he stood up from their cover and fired at the last two soldiers pinning them down.

The first trooper fell with a cry, clutching his chest, but the second scrambled out of the doorway before Brick could get a bead on him. The redhead huffed in annoyance at the escapee but let it go for the moment. Besides, the gun was out of bullets anyway, wouldn't do any good to go chasing after someone with no God damn bullets.

Instead, he stuffed the pistol into his belt and helped haul Buttercup into a standing position as she struggled to rise. Once she got her feet underneath her, the brunette roughly pulled away from him.

"I can walk on my own." She barked.

The Ruff let a scowl twist his lips at her childish attitude. You'd think she'd show a little more appreciation, but if she wanted to walk on her own then fine. He turned away from her with a barely a glance.

"I'm done, we can leave now." He called out over his shoulder.

Whether she could keep up or not was her problem. Brick might have a grudging respect for her abilities but playing Good Samaritan wasn't his thing, especially not if she was going to be bitchy about it.

Hmph, women.

Brick pushed the annoying thoughts away and glance out the doorway to the walkway beyond. It was suspiciously clear of any enemy troops and that was sending off warning bells in his brain. That coward had probably gone to get backup which left them very little time to make their exit.

Now was definitely the time to leave.

He gestured for Buttercup to follow behind him and crept out of the safety of the control room. They were halfway towards the stairs down to the ground level when gunfire swamped their position.

Brick hit the deck with a curse and tried to avoid getting riddled with bullets. Behind him, he heard Buttercup do the same, only with a much more violent curse than his.

Absent mindedly Brick ticked off another similarity between his brother and his counterpart, both of them could come up with the most colorful of word choices when the situation called for it. It was a bit surprising to hear such words spill from a goodie goodie's mouth but not entirely unexpected.

Buttercup had always been the most…aggressive out of the Puffs.

A bullet ricocheted dangerously near his face and brought Brick out of his thoughts. Staying up here would be the death of them. They needed to get off this damn walkway and someplace with cover. Crawling along the floor, Brick inched his way towards the stairs and glanced down.

A contingent of five guards stood at the landing and responded to his intrusion by letting loose a stream of flying lead in his direction. Brick rolled back with a growl and sought a different route.

Only, there was none. The stairway was literally the only conventional method to get to the ground floor, and with that exit being covered they were stuck up here.

Great.

'Think Brick, there's a way out of here, there has to be. Just because you have no ammunition, an injured companion, and a squad of soldiers firing at you doesn't mean you're doomed…it's just a highly likely outcome.' He thought sardonically to himself with a frown.

A poke to his side brought Brick's attention to the brunette beside him.

"What? Can't you see I'm trying to think of a way out of here?" He said as his frown intensified.

"Well maybe you need to think a little simpler Hat Boy." She fired back and pointed her finger towards the edge of the walkway.

What in blazes was she trying to get at? Couldn't she just leave him alone for one second?! He didn't have time to indulge her and her stupid little games by looking at the God damn-

Brick froze with his mouth halfway open as he gazed at the creaking conveyor belt hanging beside the walkway rail. It ran at an angle through the jungle of other conveyor belts towards the ground floor below.

Damn it, and now he knew what Butch felt like. The answer was so obvious he had swept right past the possibility of using the belts.

His eyes shifted back to see the triumphant smirk adorning the Puff's face and he had to resist the urge to scowl. There it was again! Another time she showed him up. Fucking A this was getting annoying.

Scrounging up as much dignity as he could, Brick gave Buttercup a nod and hustled over to the railing. Up close, the conveyor belt looked decidedly unstable and ready to fall apart at the slightest provocation. Why couldn't these stupid troops take care of their facilities? He fought back a sigh and steeled himself. It was the only way down so it would have to do.

The fire from the troops on the stair way dwindled as they hurried to replace their empty clips and Brick and Buttercup took the opportunity to hop the rail and shuffle uneasily onto the swinging beltway.

It squealed in protested as they added their weight to its already heavy load, but thankfully it didn't collapse. The gunfire picked up again and Brick searched around for any sort of cover. The only thing remotely useful were the hunks of scrap metal laying scattered over the belt.

It would have to do.

The Red Ruff picked up the nearest piece he could find and held it up like a shield. Bullets tinged and dented the metal but none broke through. Seven hells! He felt like one of those damn games at a carnival, riding the slowest conveyor belt in history while people shot at him and hoped for a prize. The prize being his head on a platter.

Such a fun thought.

Bullets continued to ping off of his impromptu shield and oh so slowly the belt began to carry them down to the ground floor. Avoiding the robotic arms that tried to solder bolts to his face provided another layer of added difficulty that was making Brick really regret this whole mission.

It was seriously fucking hard to avoid a wave of bullets and randomly moving arms tipped with glowing hot metal. How Buttercup managed to avoid it with her injury was impressive.

The entire ride he mentally cursed out Pinkie and her inane insistence at the no resources rule. Seriously! A few clips of 9mm ammo would have been extremely helpful right about now!

'Dumb bitch.' Brick thought to himself as a bullet flew past his face.

After what felt like an eternity, the conveyor belt finally neared its destination on the ground floor next to a slew of empty crates and an emergency exit. Brick really hoped that the exit wasn't being guard on the outside but he had no time to give it more than a passing thought as he and Buttercup jumped off the belt.

It was just downright bad luck that right as he landed a bullet pinged off a nearby metal column and found its way straight into his thigh on his right side.

"Fuck!" Was the only thing Brick had time to say before he crumbled face first into the filthy concrete floor.

Not only did his head slam into the ground with enough force to make spots dance in front of his eyes, but he got a mouth full of dirt too.

God Dammit! That fucking hurt! A wave of pain cascaded down his leg as he struggled to spit out the offending taste and curse at the same time.

Brick wasn't given time to dwell much on his pain as a hand grabbed him by his collar and proceeded to drag him across the floor. The movement sent a fresh wave of pain down his leg but he tried to push passed it as he recognized his partner once again coming to his rescue.

That inner spark of self-irritation reached a whole new level as he realized he was being shown up…_again_! Fuck! What was wrong with him? It was time to stop being a pussy and start acting like a man!

No way in hell would he let Buttercup Utonium have the satisfaction of hauling his ass towards the exit. He was going to walk out of here damn it!

With a groan, the redhead shoved himself up off the floor and staggered to his feet. He couldn't walk so much as lurch along but it was ten times better than being pulled around like a sack of potatoes and much more dignified…well…sorta.

Shouts followed after the pair as they scrambled toward the exit. Thankfully, the conveyor belt had transported them clear across the warehouse which meant the Simian troopers chasing after them would have to navigate through the tangle of belts and machines if they wanted a clear shot. This was all well and good in Brick's book, it afforded them enough time to make it to the door and escape outside without further injuries.

They burst out the door and slammed it shut as another wave of gunfire spat at them. Little dents popped up all over the cast iron metal as the door took the brunt of the assault. Both Brick and Buttercup took a moment to lean against it and catch their breath.

Brick glanced at his partner from the corner of his eye and noticed her breathing heavily, still clutching her side. Oh right, she had been shot too. He had forgotten about that. Damn it, they were both injured and behind enemy lines. This easy victory was turning out to be way more fucking dangerous than he originally thought.

The redhead sucked in a deep breath and shoved away from the door. For one precarious second, his leg buckled under his full weight but he managed to shift his center of balance before it collapsed underneath him.

This would definitely make it harder to escape from this God forsaken base. Hell, they'd be lucky to make it to the rendezvous point in one piece…still they had to try.

"Come on." He grunted as he took a few shambling steps down the alley.

He heard the Puff groan and follow after him.

Almost over, this whole ordeal was almost over…they just needed to stay alive a bit longer.

* * *

Bubbles shrunk back as a squad of soldiers rushed past the jeep turned hiding place. They didn't notice her or Boomer, thank God. They were much more focused on the pair of intruders that were currently scurrying across the rooftops overhead.

The Blue Puff had no idea how Butch and her sister managed to find themselves in such a position but it didn't look good for them. She suppressed a wince as more troops rushed onto the scene and began shooting another wave of gunfire at them.

Oh, this was bad, so very, very bad. She needed to do something to help those two out, but what? She couldn't go out there and draw attention to herself, that would put her and Boomer in an even worse position than Blossom and Butch.

Bubbles pulled on a pigtail in frustration as she tried to think of some plan. She really wasn't good at this sort of thing. Anything she tried to do would most likely result in her and Boomer becoming targets as well and there were literally troops _everywhere_ now.

How were they supposed to provide support without giving themselves away?

This sucked.

"They're not going to make it." Bubbles jumped as a voice from behind her spoke up.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Boomer's intent blue eyes following their siblings on their desperate flight. He was right of course, but unless he had a plan then they were kinda dead in the water right now.

Boomer torn his eyes away and glanced down the street. Bubbles followed his gaze but didn't see anything other than some buildings.

"There." He stated.

"Where are we going?" Bubbles hissed as he grabbed her arm and drew her towards the buildings.

"Just trust me."

She didn't really want to lose sight of her sister but his quiet sentiment struck a chord in her. The last time he had said that was when they were running for their lives from those horrible Collectors. It had turned out alright then. Maybe it would do so now?

She could hope.

Bubbles drew an unsteady breath and hurried to keep up with him as they dash along the shadows. Guards ran everywhere across the grounds, but they always kept their eyes on the rooftops. It allowed the two Blues to make their way unobserved.

When they drew alongside the buildings, Bubbles noticed that the entirety of the front was covered in small hanger like doors. Almost like garage doors…

Boomer brought a finger to his lips, motioning her to stay quiet, and crept along the side to an open doorway. Peeking through, Bubbles realized that they _were_ garage doors. This was the base's vehicle depot.

How was this going to help them? She looked quizzically at her partner but he didn't notice as he kept his attention focused on the numerous mechanics that were all gathered near the back by a radio.

"What's going on Mike?"

"Hell if I know."

"Didn't they say there were intruders in the base?"

"You don't think it's those guys that attack those other bases last week do you?"

"You can bet your ass it is."

"What makes you so sure?"

Bubbles followed Boomer lead as he crouched low and scurried past the distracted men and their intense conversation. Her nerves were on end as her path brought her within five feet of the group. One small noise would be all it took to garner their attention and put her in a world of trouble.

No pressure…right.

'Think like a cat, think like a cat…no, be a cat. Yes, I am as quiet as a cat, light on my feet, unnoticeable.' Bubble mentally coached herself as she slowly passed by the arguing group. Her heart was beating so furiously within her that she was amazed the group didn't hear it too.

Of course, it would be hard to hear anything given how loud their discussion had gotten.

"All I'm saying Bill, is that if it were that group, then why ain't they assaulting the base straight on like last time?!"

"Well hell if I know the reason Jim! I'm a damn mechanic, not a general. Maybe they're using a differn' strategy or somethin'."

It was with a heartfelt sigh of relief that Bubbles reached the rows of trucks and Humvees and reunited with the shadows. The blonde took a few measured breaths to calm her racing pulse. She wasn't sure she was cut out for this sneaking around behind enemy lines stuff, that was more Buttercup's cup of tea.

It was official, when she got home, she was going straight to the Med Clinic and never leaving its safety again…yeah like that was going to happen but it sure was a nice thought.

Bubbles crept up beside her counterpart beneath the shadow of a truck and gave him an anxious look. "Now what?"

"Now…we steal a truck and help our siblings." He replied quietly as he studied the vehicles surrounding them.

"How do we do that? We don't know where the keys are." Bubbles said, giving a tug on her pigtails.

He stopped his examination and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Who said anything about keys?"

"Wait, what?" What did he mean by that? Bubbles was confused. She knew she wasn't the most nimble of thought, especially when she was in a frazzled state like right now, but she was well and truly lost.

Her question was left unanswered as Boomer turned away and approached the nearest truck. It looked like a vehicle that transported goods, like the ones they had snuck in on. A burlap canopy covered the bed of the truck while a steel grill covered the front of the chassis.

Boomer cracked open the driver's door and wiggled his way under the steering wheel. Popping the bottom off, he began to pull out wires so they dangled down within easy reach.

OOooooh, hot wiring…duh. Why hadn't she realized that?

Probably because she didn't even know Boomer knew how to hotwire a car. She sure didn't, she wasn't exactly what people would call mechanically inclined. Buttercup was oft to point that out when she offered to help with maintenance duties.

Seeing how she wasn't the best when it came to mechanics, that left her with really nothing to do but watch anxiously as Boomer fiddled with the wiring.

Normally she didn't mind waiting for things to happen, all good things came in time after all. But this, this type of waiting she disliked immensely. Especially when it involved waiting inside enemy territory with hostiles less than thirty meters away and her sister's life on the line.

She couldn't just stand here like a bumpkin, there had to be something she could do besides fret and worry. Bubbles gave her pigtail one last soft tug then tapped Boomer's knee. A soft sigh came of the stoic man as he untangled himself and looked at her questioningly.

"Um, is there anything I can do? To help?" She asked in a hesitant voice.

She felt sure Boomer would shake his head and blow her off but he surprised her. The blonde cast a critical eye around the poorly lit room until he caught view of something. Lifting up a hand, he pointed towards the far side of the garage.

"See that row of buttons on the wall? Those probably open the doors. We'll need the one in front of this truck open."

How had he even seen that from here? Boy had good eyes, or he was just observant. That was something she herself needed to work on.

Bubbles gave her counterpart a nod and stalked towards the far wall without another word. It wasn't too hard to make it all the way over there, the biggest obstacle was making sure she didn't trip on any of the discarded tools and supplies.

These guys were so messy, seriously, who leaves a hose lying around in the middle floor? Someone could fall and hurt themselves on it. Blossom wouldn't tolerate that kind of laziness back at the base.

Thoughts of her sister made Bubbles' anxiousness return tenfold. She could still here gunfire outside which meant they weren't dead…yet. That could change the longer her and Boomer delayed though.

She needed to hurry!

Creeping quietly along, Bubbles once again passed by the arguing mechanics although now their conversation had simmered down to a more polite level of discussion. They still were oblivious to her presence thankfully and she used that to her advantage as she reached the door controls.

She looked down at the rows of buttons and then it occurred to her…which one was she supposed to press?

Crap.

"Alright, alright. Whoever they are, it's none of our concern. We got vehicles to fix up boys. Get back to work, all of ya."

Double crap.

The sound of shuffling caused Bubbles eyebrows to shoot up in alarm. Oh no, they were moving and she was standing right out in the open. What if they saw her? What would they do? What would she do?

Crap, crap, crap.

Anxiously she looked down at the buttons again and bit her lip. The sounds of movement got closer with each passing second. Which one? Which one? Why weren't these damn things numbered or something?!

"I still think it was those guys who attacked before."

"I know Bill, ya made yer point. Now get back to that tire before Mike starts riding our asses."

The two voices coming up behind her caused Bubbles to panic and in one swift moment, she made her decision.

She took both of her hands and pushed all the buttons on the console as quickly as possible.

The effect was instantaneous as all along the building doors began raising and the moonlit air spilled inside. Amidst the shouts of surprise, Bubbles heard the rumble of a truck starting up.

It was time to go.

"Hey! Stop there!"

Definitely time to go.

Bubbles dove away from the panel and scurried behind the nearest truck as 'Bill' and his friend shouted at her to stop. Yeah, like that was going to happen.

Abandoning all means of stealth, Bubbles dashed through the obstacle course of vehicles and made her way back towards Boomer, shoving aside any random mechanics who got in her way. The element of surprise was her best friend at the moment, the gob smacked workers had barely anytime to even register her presence before she flew past them.

She made it back to the truck unharmed but by that time one of the mechanics had activated the alarms. Red emergency lights began flashing inside the building as Bubbles ripped open the door and threw herself into the cabin.

She flashed a brief, entirely too innocent smile at Boomer. "Ready to go? Please say yes."

He looked at her oddly but nodded just the same and shifted gears. With a roar, the truck peeled out of the garage and into the battlefield beyond. Within seconds, Bubbles let out a wordless shriek as they plowed straight into a cluster of Simian troops. Bodies bounced off the reinforced windshield and dozens of men dived out of the way as Boomer pushed the truck to its limit.

"Hold on." He muttered as he floored the gas pedal.

That advice would have been nice to know before they started the human version of Frogger. Another shriek of fear ripped from her throat as they skidded around a corner and rammed into more human bodies.

Bubbles could only think of one thing as they careened down the roadway.

'Note to self: If we get out of this alive, rethink that whole trusting Boomer thing.'

* * *

**A/N: Whoo, so...how you guys doing? Here's a little mid week pick me up in honor of 100 REVIEWS! Yeah man! It feels totally awesome, thank you guys so much! Seriously, this week has been pretty hectic at work and all your enthusiasm and reviews made it all a little easier. So thanks a whole bunch!**

**Welcome to our new favoriters and followers out there: BMW2013 and kidstandout! Thanks guys!**

**Reviewer Recognition:**

**Lily: Yes, yes the others did run into trouble but don't worry! Boomer's got this. Although Bubbles might not agree so much :D Thanks for the review (as always) Hope this chapter was just as thrilling as the last one for you! Have a great rest of the week!  
**

**Scourge: I know! Sweet, innocent Bubbles threatening someone with bodily harm. It's a tough world they've lived in though, some things just have to be done. Rest assured that it was all for show, she'd never go through with it. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to watch any more Touhou but I shall try! Work and house sitting aren't very conducive to anime watching unfortunately. :(**

**Guest: Thanks for the review! There might be a future Butch and Bubbles team, I'll keep it in mind! **

**NyanicornYaY: So violent! Yes, Mojo is a very evil monkey with nefarious plots up his sleeves! All will be revealed in time! As for the superpowers? Who knows? Maybeeeee. :D**

**The Cynic: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. Hopefully this chapter was a good continuation of the previous one. Let me know what you think!**

**kidstandout: Lol, thanks so much! I'm glad I could help restore your hope :D That's one of my goals! There is still a lot more to this story, so stay tuned!**

**Misei:Thank you! I felt like I had been making the Boys all awesome and kind of jipping the Girls, so I had to fix that up! They are definitely a force to be reckoned with in their own special ways! Hope this update brightens your week up!**

**Thanks again guys for all the reviews and your support! Tune in for the thrilling conclusion of Raid Number 1 this SATURDAY! Chapter 32: A Not So Smooth Ride! Until then, fare thee well!**


	33. Chapter 33 - A Not So Smooth Ride

Chapter 33 – A Not So Smooth Ride

"What the hell is going on?" Buttercup muttered as she and Brick crept down the street.

"I'll give you three guesses." Brick replied dryly as he stopped to peer around the corner of a building.

The Green Puff joined him and blinked several times in surprise. She was expecting more than a few troops to be caught up in all this commotion, but this…this looked the whole fucking base was involved. At least a hundred and fifty guards were surrounding a building and bombarding it with gunfire.

That would explain why she and Brick had such an easy time sneaking around after they got out of the Production Plant. She had thought they were walking into a trap but no, these guy were really just that incompetent to leave whole sections of their outpost unguarded while they had an intruder alert.

"That's Blossom and Butch up there isn't it?"

Brick nodded with a resigned sigh. "Yes, and now it's up to us to get them out of that mess. I knew Pinkie shouldn't have been left to her own devices."

"Hey!" Buttercup barked at him.

He was going to blame all this on Blossom? What a load of bull! Ten to one odds says this was mostly Butch's fault. The knucklehead had little to no tact whatsoever. If anything, it was Blossom's intervention that had probably been saving his sorry ass until now.

"Don't blame all this shit on Blossom, Butch was with her too." She finished with a glare.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He responded with an arched brow.

Seriously?

"Don't even try to act like you don't know, you're supposed to be the smart one remember? This whole mess is probably Butch's fault!"

"Butch may lack delicacy for stealth operations, but he knows better than to trigger a full out base alarm. In all my time raiding with him, he has never ended up in a situation like this!" Brick growled and pointed towards the collection of Simian Troops. "This is obviously Blossom's influence!"

Truth be told, the events of the day were starting to wear thin on Buttercup's self-control. Not only was she being forced to work with one of her worst arch enemies, but she had been shot and was in a lot of pain. Add all that with Brick insulting her sister with his self-righteous, asinine attitude and Buttercup was starting to see red creep into her vision.

Reaching out, she grabbed a fist full of his leather jacket and pulled him down to her eye level. Like hell she was going to look up at this fool when she gave him a beat down.

"Listen here you punk! I know my sister and I _know_ that Blossom would never let something like this happen while she was in control. She had a plan and we both know it was most likely Butch who messed it up! Now quit trying to cover for your brother's stupidity and figure out a way to get them out of there!"

Brick pulled out of her grip violently. "Excuse me?!"

For being a villain he sure did use the most polite phrases sometimes, never mind the fact that they were always coated in loathing and derision. Before he could say more and get her riled up further, their budding argument was interrupted by the sound of squealing tires.

Simultaneously the two of them looked back the way they came and saw a large truck skid around the corner before it peeled down the street towards them.

Shit! Buttercup looked around quickly and tried duck behind some cover but Brick grabbed a hold of her vest and yanked her back.

"What the fuck are you doing? We gotta hide!" She said as she tried to tug him with her.

"No, look who's driving." He pointed at the truck.

Buttercup paused her struggled and tried to look into the truck cabin. Through the cracked and blood smeared glass she could barely make out a flash of bright blonde hair. There were only two people in the world that had that kind of hair.

"Bubbles!"

"And Boomer too, come one." Brick lurched forward and limped towards the vehicle with his injured leg.

Buttercup was left with little choice but to hobble after him into the street. The pain in her side flared as she lifted up her arm and waved at the truck but she wanted to be sure they were recognized. Hopefully Boomer would see them through that collection of broken glass they called windshield and stop before he ran both her and Brick over.

That didn't seem to be going to happening with how fast that damn truck was going however. It was getting closer and closer and it _still_ hadn't slowed down. Oh God, they were going to get flattened.

She winced as the squeal of old brakes filled the air and the truck lurched to its side, turning nearly ninety degrees as it slid to a stop just a few feet away from them. The smell of burning rubber and smoking asphalt made her nose burn.

Dear Lord! Could that boy have cut it any closer?!

"Watch it!" Buttercup yelled at the blonde as he poked his head out the window.

He offered her a small shrug and then looked at Brick. "Hop in the back, we're going to get Butch and the other one." He threw a thumb over his shoulder toward the covered truck bed.

Brick gave him a nod and limped his way back there, Buttercup followed but not before giving Boomer a glare that made him shrink back. "The other one has a name you know."

Seeing him nod timidly actually did wonders for her nose diving mood. At least one of these boys knew the meaning of respect. Now if only the other two were smart enough to learn from his example.

A hiss escaped her lips as the truck jerked in to motion and disturbed her aching side. Something told her that this wasn't going to be a smooth ride.

A series of jarring bumps and loud noises made Buttercup wince again and look out the back of the truck. Damn canopy, how the hell was she supposed to see anything back here? She could only tell that they were entering the battlefield by the trail of mangled bodies they left in their wake.

**Bam! Thunk!** The truck swerved back and forth, running over more than a few unfortunate souls.

Not going to be a smooth ride at all.

* * *

This was great, no really…it was awesome. Who didn't love being stuck up on a roof with an entire company of hostiles trying to fill you full of lead all while listening to the most annoying twit in the world frantically speaking out loud to herself in an effort to find a way of escape.

Seriously, good times.

**NOT!**

Butch could think of half a dozen places off the top of his head that he would rather be right now. Ducking low behind an air duct was not one of them. What a shitty situation to be in.

Pinkie's rooftop escape plan hadn't been terrible, he'd admit that much. It worked on getting them out of that death trap storage warehouse. The only problem now was that they were stuck on a death trap rooftop instead. It was only a matter of time before Simian troops began ascending to the roofs themselves. And then they'd have nowhere to hide.

That didn't leave a whole lot of time for them to come up with another escape plan, which was exactly the reason Bossy was freaking out beside him. He supposed she had a right to be a little freaked out given their ever growing certainty of death but did she _have_ to mutter to herself? God, it was annoying.

"We could throw a conditioning unit off the roof and use the three point six second of shock registration to escape down the ladder." The redhead muttered beside him.

Butch snorted. "Yeah, down the ladder right into a sea of troops. We're surrounded Pinkie. Face it. We're stuck and there's no way out."

Blossom shook herself out of her trance and frowned up at him. "Don't say that! You can't give up hope!"

"Why the hell not?"

She gaped uselessly at him for a few seconds. Butch rolled his eyes.

"Let me show you how hopeless this is." He shoved himself onto his feet and then threw himself back down to the ground barely a half a second later as gunfire filled the air.

Pointing towards the deadly stream above their heads, Butch raised both his eyebrows. "How in the hell are we supposed to escape or even hope to escape when the second we move from here we'll be filled with bullets?"

The redhead shut her mouth with a snap and bit down on her lip, eyes darting back and forth looking for something, anything that she could grab onto. After a few seconds she let her shoulders slump in defeat and sighed.

"…You're right…" She said so quietly that Butch barely caught the words.

You know, he thought he'd get a lot more joy out of hearing her say that. Somehow the achievement of making Little Miss Perfect admit she was wrong didn't seem all that great when he was going to die within the next few minutes.

Fuck.

The two of them sat there in silence, well relative silence if you didn't count the continuous gunfire, each lost in their own thoughts.

He had heard that when you were staring down death was when you assaulted with all your regrets in life. That you thought about all the things you could have done, should have done. It was supposed to be flashing before his eyes right now.

But it wasn't.

In fact, he didn't feel anything besides bored resignation. Yeah this sucked, but what else could they do? He was tired damn it and his shoulder hurt like hell. It would be a waste of time to be pouting over the what ifs. He had led a good life, good for him at least. Blowing stuff up, stealing things, kicking the crap out of whoever he wanted. Wasn't really much more he could ask for could he?

The only thing that really pissed him off, and he meant _really_ pissed him off was the fact that he would go out trapped, hiding like a rat on some dumbass rooftop. He really should be out there fighting those bastards. If he was going to die, he should do it in a blaze of glory.

…Yeah…

**Yeah!** Screw this waiting around!

Nodding to the gravel rooftop, Butch made his decision and gathered his hands beneath him. He was about to shove himself up when Blossom raised her head.

"Do you hear that?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Hear what? He couldn't hear a damn thing beside the gunfire raging all around him.

"Shhh!" She shushed with a finger to her lips.

"If you don't want me to talk, then why the hell did you ask me a question?!" Butch snapped.

The Puff didn't reply as she listened to whatever mystery sound had caught her ear. What the fuck did it matter anyway? He was trying to die in a blaze of glory here! He should have expected she'd ruin the moment.

Butch took a deep breath, psyched himself up again, and jumped to his feet. His action caused Blossom to snap her head back around and gape at him but he was too busy waiting for the inevitable pain of hot lead ripping through his body to pay attention.

Imagine his surprise when, instead of being riddled with bullets, he found himself whole and mostly healthy.

Butch blinked open his eyes and looked down at his body in shock. There were no new wounds. He hadn't been shot.

**He hadn't been shot!**

…Why hadn't he been shot?

Butch glanced down at Blossom and noticed she was just as confused at this turn of events as he was. In fact, now that the immediate thought of death was passed, he noticed that there weren't any bullets flying around him at all. Instead he heard shouts from down below.

What the hell?

"Butch-wait!"

The Green Ruff ignored her request and walked towards the edge of the building. Sticking his head out, he saw a shit ton of guards but all their attention was focused on a truck careening through their midst.

Butch winced as one Simian soldier couldn't move out of the way fast enough and hit the grill head on. Up and over the hood he flew, straight into the mangled remains of a windshield before falling off the side.

Daaaamn. As if being hit wasn't enough. Being stuck with glass and then run over must have hurt like a bitch…if you were still alive.

"What the hell's going on down there?" Pinkie asked as she cautiously stepped up beside him.

"I have no fucking clue." Butch replied as he stared at the carnage happening below.

"That has to be one of our siblings down there." Blossom said as she leaned out over the edge.

The truck had plowed through the mob and sent most of the troops scattering to get out of its path. A few of the more disciplined soldiers stayed their ground and fired at the oncoming vehicle. It did little to stop the truck and in turn, they were all unceremoniously run over and left to die in the dirt.

The truck squealed to a stop directly below Butch and Blossom position and from the passenger side window, a blonde head of hair popped out.

"Jump on! We don't have much time!" Bubbles yelled up at them as gunfire started picking up again.

"Don't need to tell me fucking twice." Butch muttered as he grabbed Blossom arm and, despite her loud protests, jumped off the roof.

His whoop of exhilaration was covered up by Blossom shriek of terror. It lasted barely a second as they crashed through the canvas cover and hit the truck bed with a little too much speed.

**THUD!**

Butch let out a groan and he weakly rolled over and clutched at his shoulder. "Break the fall my ass. Damn movies lied to me."

"Which is why you should read more."

Butch looked up to see a familiar red cap and felt a grin stretch across his lips. "Yeah right egghead."

The Green Ruff was almost sent sprawling as the truck lurched forward and sped off. Behind them, the collection of Simian troops was still trying to recover and only a few gave chase, firing as they ran. There was no way in hell they had any hopes of catching up to them, already they were falling way behind, but still those stupid ass guards tried.

You had to give them an A for effort, instead Butch flipped them off.

Turning around, he crawled passed the two embracing Puffs towards his brother. Huh, who knew Butters had a caring side. Amazing, the things you learned in life or death situations.

With a grateful sigh, Butch sat himself down next to Brick and looked at him.

"Mission accomplished, but it was a damn good thing you came to save our bacon. Pinkie was freaking out back there. I thought for sure I'd have to go out listening to her God awful whining." He said with a grimace.

Brick reciprocated the gesture. "I can sympathize. That has got to be one of the worst ways to die."

Butch wholeheartedly nodded in agreement.

"However, it wasn't I who planned this getaway adventure." Brick continued after a moment.

"What?" Butch looked at him in shock.

Brick hadn't planned this out? No way! This was a fucking smart idea, how could he not have thought something like this up?

"Who did then? Not Butters over there!" He nodded towards the Puff who was receiving some field first aid from her sister. He was surprised they could even do that in a bouncing truck. It was hard enough to keep from falling over.

Brick face remained as expressionless as a slab of stone as he shook his head. "No, not Buttercup. It was Boomer and the Bubbly One's idea actually. They had already gotten the truck by the time we joined them."

"Woah! Wait a minute! Boomer thought of this? Daydreaming, ditzy Boomer? Our brother?" Butch asked him incredulously.

"Do you know anyone else by that name?"

"…You've got to be shitting me…for real?"

Brick merely nodded with what might have been a smirk. It was hard to tell with this truck bucking around like a horse.

God damn it. Now he owed Boomer one for saving his sorry ass.

…He was never going to live this down. And his bastard of a brother knew it too as he sat there smirking at him! Gah, this sucked major balls.

A particularly jarring bump caused Butch to look out the back and see the base walls pass them by. A few Simian troops made half hearted attempts to fire after them but now that they were out of the outpost there was really no point. In fact, they were practically home free at this point. HAH! Who the hell would have thought this possible?

First mission with the Powersluts? Successful.

…Shit, now he owed Brick a week's worth of chores.

* * *

Blossom liked to consider herself a pretty down to earth type of gal. She was usually able to contain her emotions and project an aura of calm that helped maintain the emotional equilibrium her sisters sometimes lacked.

The key word here being _usually._

She was definitely not feeling that calm at the moment. Her mind was one chaotic swirling mass of raw emotions and it seemed impossible to sort out. Disbelief at their miraculous escape warred with exhilaration at their accomplishment which battled with worry for her sister's wound which completely contradicted the remnant anger she _still_ felt towards Butch and earlier his asinine behavior.

It was all too much to handle in such a short time and as a result, Blossom was still stuck in a sort of a daze as the truck rolled to a stop and she and the others clambered out the back.

The only concrete, logical thought her mind could conjure at the moment was the fact that they had done it.

They had successfully raided one of Mojo's outposts and dismantled it!

It was hard to believe, hard to grasp, but it was true. Whether the damage they inflicted left any lasting difficulties on the monkey emperor was still to be seen but for now, just the fact that they had done it was enough for her.

Blossom took a deep, satisfying breath of the crisp winter air and felt a soft feeling of contentment blanket her chaotic emotions. They were still there, still battling for dominance of her thought process, but right now, she decided that simply coming out of this alive was something to rejoice in. It was a feeling that she was going to focus on.

And just like that, the tension in her shoulders eased and a small smile split her lips. Life was good at the moment.

Good for her at least, a grunt from beside her drew Blossom's attention towards her grimacing sister. Buttercup stood hunched over with a red hand held tightly at her side. The hastily bandage she had covered the wound with was completely soaked through and glistened faintly in the starlight.

That would definitely need medical attention as soon as possible. She wasn't sure if her crude first aid had completely stopped the bleeding but she knew for sure that it wasn't enough to guard against infection. The faster they got back to the home base, the better.

But where was it? And where in the world were they?

Blossom directed her attention to the buildings surrounding her but came up empty handed. There were no definitive landmarks, no readable street signs nearby to help her guess at their location. They could be anywhere inside the ruins of Townsville.

The redhead bit down softly on her lip as her bundle of raw emotions started bubbling up through her blanket of contentment again.

"Blossom!"

A squeal of delight abruptly broke the nights quiet and tore Blossom from her self-analysis. It was followed swiftly by a bear hug that nearly knocked the wind out of her. It didn't leave her entirely breathless but it did take a few seconds for her lungs to remember to work.

Once Blossom regained a sufficient amount of air back, she realized it was her baby sister who was crushing her lungs.

"Bubbles!" She cried and returned the hug with just as much vigor. "Are you alright? Are you injured? Did you run into any trouble during your mission? How'd you get in a truck?" She question as she pulled back and gave the blonde a once over.

From her point of view, everything looked to be in working order. There were no obvious signs of injury besides a small bruise just beginning to ripen on her face.

Bubbles let go of her and smiled brightly. "Yep! I'm fit as a fiddle and no, Boomer and I didn't run into too much trouble. As for the truck…well that's a long story. What about you? Are you alright?"

She looked over towards Buttercup and let out a gasp. "Buttercup! Oh my gosh! What happened?"

The blonde moved over to her middle sister and gently peeled back the blood soaked bandage. A frown fell upon her brow as examined the wound in the pale light.

"Ouchie, that must hurt." She muttered.

"Psh! I've had worse." The brunette replied nonchalantly while she tried not to wince.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." Bubbles replied as she replaced the bandage as carefully as she could. "The base isn't too far from here, a few miles at most. Do you think you'll be able to make it that far Buttercup?"

The Green Puff snorted. "Are you kidding me? Cake walk. It's a GSW to a none vital region of my torso, it's not like I lost my fucking leg or anything."

"Language Buttercup." Blossom said with a sigh and shook her head softly at her sister's stubbornness.

Buttercup ignored the admonishment and instead looked at something beyond both of her sisters. Blossom followed her gaze and blinked in surprise when her eyes fell upon the Rowdyruff Boys.

With all the overwhelming stimulus she was experiencing she had somehow managed to forget about their existence.

Brick certainly hadn't forgotten about them, his blood red eyes were focused on her like a hawk, watching her every move. Blossom started at the intensity of his gaze before trying to project her own sense of confidence.

There was still one last part of the mission to finish up with before they could go home.

Straightening her posture, Blossom took a quick calming breath and strode purposefully towards the boy's circle with her sisters following in tow. An awkward silence fell over the entire group as she came to a stop in front of her counterpart. No one spoke a word. Perhaps Brick was just as unsure as she was on how to proceed.

Despite her stipulations and terms, the boys had fulfilled their promise and the raid had come out successful. She had said that if they could prove that they could work together then she would consider Brick's offer fully. That meant that this tentative alliance was now clear to become official.

She still wasn't entirely sure she was on board with the idea. They may have won this battle but it was anything but smooth. They had gone in under informed, woefully unprepared, and extremely distrustful of each other. Not the best recipe for cooperation and success.

And with the way Butch had acted, could she even make herself willing to work with them again? It had been frustrating and damn near life threatening. Was it worth it? Was she desperate enough to agree to they're help?

Everything in this war was a gamble, all that mattered was who she was willing to bet on and how much. She wasn't quite sure how much she could rely on the Rowdyruffs, but a deal was a deal. If Brick wanted to pursue this alliance, she was bound by her word to agree.

Damn her responsible nature.

Blossom stood quietly, waiting for Brick to say something. She didn't have to wait long as he stepped up and looked down at her in a calculating manner.

"Our mission was a success." He said neutrally.

"It would appear so." Blossom replied.

Something flickered in his eye but it was too fast for Blossom to identify. He reached up a hand and straightened his hat. There was a distinct feeling of finality in the gesture.

"We've accomplished our goal in spite of the restrictions you placed on us. I'd say that we passed your little trial and have proven ourselves, wouldn't you agree?" The even tone he used showed no signs of triumph or haughtiness.

He was really serious about teaming up if he was willing to hide his contempt and general asinine nature at this moment. He almost appeared sincere.

Blossom steeled her own resolve and nodded slowly in return. "Yes, you've fulfilled your end of the bargain. Now I'll fulfill mine. If you are still seeking an alliance between the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys…then you have it."

The words felt heavy in the air, like someone had cranked up the tension to a near unbearable level. It was all up to him now.

A moment passed…and then Brick nodded.

Just like that, something changed. The entire dynamic between them shifted into something strange. No longer enemies but teammates. It was hard to wrap her head around the idea and Blossom was sure it was going to take a long time before she actually felt comfortable with it but it was done.

The redhead held out her hand. "Partners?"

His lip twitched briefly into a frown but he still reached out and shook her hand. She was guessing the idea of working together was still as nauseating to him as it was to her.

Well there was no turning back now, she was just going to have to figure out how to live it.

Ugh.

"I'll be in contact with you." Her counterpart said, subtly wiping his hand on his jacket before motioning to his brothers and turning away.

Blossom rolled her eyes at his retreating back. He'd be in contact? Still trying to hold the position of power was he? She was definitely going to have to straighten that misconception out soon. If he was planning on aiding them and using _her_ resources he was just going to have to accept her leadership. No if's and's or but's about it.

Blossom watched them hobbled away dispassionately for a few seconds before turning back towards her sisters. Buttercup was scowling at the boys' back, which was unsurprising, but Bubbles was looking right at her with the biggest puppy dog eyes she had ever seen.

_Oh no…_

"What?" Blossom asked her younger sister hesitantly.

In the blink of an eye the imploring look was replaced with an exasperated sigh. The blonde gestured to the retreating trio.

"They're injured Blossom."

"Yes, and so are we. " Blossom failed to see how that was her problem, she had these two to worry after, why should she care about the boys' state of health too? It wasn't like she could really do..any…thing…

Wait, was Bubbles suggesting what she thought she was?

The Blue Puff folded her arms across her chest and pinned Blossom with an even stare. "And we have more than enough medical supplies to help them out. "

"OHhhhh no. No, just…no. There is no way I'm letting them into the base." Blossom objected with her hands held out in front of her.

"Make that a **hell** no! Geez Bubbles, why don't we just send out invitations to Mojo right now! Here's our base, stop by at your convenience!" Buttercup entered the conversation in her usually abrasive manner.

Bubbles frowned at the both of them and gestured again towards the boys. "Come on Buttercup, you can't still believe they're working for Mojo? Look at what we just did!"

The brunette made to reply but Bubbles didn't give her a chance to interject. She turned back towards Blossom and kept on rolling.

"And Blossom, don't you want everyone to be in tip top shape the next time we have a raid? I know you want to have the next one as soon as possible to maximize surprise or whatever. So wouldn't it be in our best interests to make sure the boys are healed and ready to go?" The blonde ask with folded hands and a set of wide, pleading eyes.

Damn it.

Blossom tried to resist them, but it was freaking hard. Her baby sister did that too well, and she did have some good points. The redhead bit her lip and averted her eyes as she tried to think of something to derail the conversation.

"Besides." Blossom glanced back as Bubbles spoke again, still with that imploring look. "Would you just leave injured people here? In Old Townsville with the entire Simian Army on high alert?"

And there went her last defense. Double damn it. Why did she have to make so much sense and appeal to her better nature?

With a heavy sigh, Blossom gave Bubbles a weary nod. "…Fine…"

The blonde let out a small squeal of joy and hugged her quickly. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you Blossom!"

Turning on her heel, Bubbles rushed off towards boys' retreating figures and yelled for them to stop.

"Are you fucking kidding? For real?"

Blossom released another sigh. "For real Buttercup. Bubbles is right, we can't just leave them here in the state they're in. If they die then we'll have to think of a new edge against Mojo. "

The brunette scoffed. "That'd be fine by me."

"Buttercup…" Blossom gave her a stern glare which she shrugged off.

"At least try to contain yourself please?" Blossom asked as she started off after Bubbles.

"I make no promises." Buttercup mumbled as she trailed behind her, dragging her feet.

It took them all of a minute to catch up to the boys and Bubbles. Brick had a terribly suspicious look on his face as she came to a stop beside her sister. His piercing eyes caught hers and he quirked his eyebrow.

Ugh, she really didn't want to do this. Some leader she was, one look from Bubbles and she could be just about guilt tripped into anything. You'd think she'd have built up a resistance to this over the years.

Blossom held back a scowl and remained as neutral as she possibly could. "I have access to good medical supplies and some trained medics back at our base. You're…welcome to join us."

The last part might have been said through gritted teeth, but she had said it. And now she had the sudden urge to spit.

A very brief look of surprise stole across Brick's eyes before his cool facade returned. If it was possible, he looked even more suspicious than before. "You're inviting us into your base? …I thought we were spies that would run off to tell Mojo if we knew where it was located"

Did he have to drag this out? He really _was_ evil, making her say it out loud. Gah, how she hated him when he was idiotic like this…which was all the time.

Blossom swallowed back the tiny burst of irritation, far too mentally worn out to drudge up the effort to be really angry with him. It would be best to just say it and get it over with quickly.

"I already said you had proven yourselves. I don't think you're spies anymore…happy?"

Her counterpart's lips twitched into a brief smirk. "Yes."

"Good, because I'm offering you this one chance of trust. If you mess it up or do anything remotely threatening to me, my sisters, or my base… you're done. And when I say that, I don't mean this alliance, I mean you…personally." Her glare had as little effect on him as her threat.

Thankfully he didn't press the issue; he simply nodded his assent and waved a hand for her to lead.

Blossom favored him with one last frown before gesturing to Bubbles to lead the way. The blonde smiled brightly and started walking with a little bounce in her step. How she still had the energy to do even that was a mystery to Blossom.

She felt run ragged and she was positive that by the time they got back to the base she would have a headache from trying dealing with these cretins.

"So…got any hot chicks at this base of yours Pinkie?" A certain Green Ruff asked.

Make that a massive migraine.

* * *

**A/N: With that, Raid one is officially done! Yay! Hoped you all liked the thrilling conclusion. It was a bit cliched but what the heck, it worked :D So yes, now the alliance is signed, sealed and delivered! Mojo had better watch out, for more intense raids are on the horizon and boy, are they gonna be fun ^.^**

**And now, a special thank you to one of our new followers FantasticJacqui01! Hello and welcome to the gang! **

**Reviewer Recognition:**

**Scourge: You presumed correctly my friend! It was too much of a classical getaway plan to not do it :D Super glad everyone is enjoying the action now entering the story and the interaction between characters. It's all so much fun to write and I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for the review and the constant encouragement! **

**ROC95: Thank you very much! I'm glad you're having a good time reading this. Oh! And thanks for reviewing my one-shot :D It's a bit more flowery than I usually write but I was in a mood so yeah. Thanks again!**

**Guest: Lol, I loved it too. There's always that point where you're on the edge of something crazy and you question the person's sanity who dragged you into. Sorry I didn't have a Boomer POV in this chapter, he'll get some time in the next one. Promise! Thanks for the review!**

**Silent Reader: Oh you, you're making me blush! Honestly I'm surprised I even made it to 100 review and now I have 113! It's super cool! As long as I have a few dedicated reviewers like yourself and the others then I'm good :D You guys are what makes it all worth after all. Thanks for the review favorite Silent Reader. **

**The Cynic: You guessed correctly sir! You and Scourge have a penchant for doing that, I'll just have to get craftier and make things not so obvious next time ;) But yes, this raid was all done with the minimal amount of supplies and resources, just what until they start planning full scale assaults *wiggles eyebrows* It will be oh so much fun! **

**Tweetybird99: Lol! Thank you, your enthusiasm is much appreciated! I hope this ending met your expectations and was just as thrilling. Now we get to the fun part of the two teams actually having to work together. Oh boy, it's gonna be a bumpy ride ;D  
**

**kidsstandout: Boomer can't be a shy pansy all the time now can he? Where's the fun in that? Don't worry, there will be places where each person gets their time to shine, it's just may take some longer than others ;)**

**Thanks all for the wonderful reviews this week! I know you guys like it that I'm dedicated in posting my chapters weekly, but I love it that _you_ _guys_ are so dedicated with your reviews! It really does motivate me to stay on track and craft my story as best I can. You guys are all cool cats and you all deserve a pat on the back! Go ahead, do it right now. I'm glad you all enjoyed the celebratory 100th review update, I think I'm gonna do that for every hundredth barrier we cross as a little thank you to everyone, including those silent readers that keep coming back week after week :D I appreciate you guys too!**

**Oh, and if you didn't know, I wrote a one shot the other day. It's not much and it has nothing to do with Misconceptions, but if you want a little something to occupied your time then go check it out and let me know what you think. I think I'll be making some more featuring different peoples, like the Reds or Greens. *shrug* We'll see.**

**On that note, tune in next Saturday for Chapter 34 - Stay a While. The Girls and Boys make it back to base and now they have to lick their wounds and plan what's going to happen next -wait a minute...did Blossom forget to do something before going on this raid?..._oh crap._ **


	34. Chapter 34 - Stay A While

Chapter 34 – Stay A While

The sun was just barely cresting over the horizon by the time the team of six neared the Resistance Base. The light was doing nothing to improve the pain radiating from the base of her neck. It felt as if her migraine grew with each step.

Blossom hated it when she was right all the time.

Butch had barely shut up the entire trip. He spit out anything and everything that came to his mind. She was pretty sure the receptors in his brain that controlled tact and empathy had been damaged when he was a child…which might actually be her or Buttercup's fault.

Damn karma.

"For the last time! If I see you so much as wink at one of my soldiers, I will string you up by your thumbs and beat you like a piñata!" Buttercup growled menacingly from behind her.

Of course because Butch wouldn't shut his mouth that meant that Buttercup hadn't either. She was going to have to think up a way to keep the two of them separated as soon as possible. Buttercup's normal self-control flew out the window when he was around.

"I didn't know you were into that sort of stuff Butters…kinky."

"Why you!"

The outrage in Buttercup's voice made it clear that it was now time for Blossom to step in…again.

"Enough." She bit out sternly as she turned to look behind her.

Her brunette sister had her fists balled up and was glaring at Butch like she meant to use them. Her counterpart on the other hand was grinning with mischievous joy and looked to be have a jolly good time. Why did Buttercup have to let him get under her skin like that?

"Can't you two cut it out for five minutes? We're all tired, injured, and cranky but we're almost to the base. So stop it." She ended firmly.

Buttercup frowned one last time at Butch before speeding up to walk beside her. He, in turn, fell back to walk with his brother, smirking insolently all the while. Ugh.

"Sorry Bloss…but that bastard gets me riled up." The Green Puff whispered to her as they walked.

"That's why he keeps saying asinine things Buttercup, to get a rise out of you. You need to start ignoring him instead of encouraging it." Blossom replied with a knowing look.

The hint of pink that colored the brunette's cheeks confirmed the fact that she knew full and well what Butch was doing, she just couldn't stop herself from taking his bait.

"Listen, I want you to stay away from him as much as possible. Minus the raids of course."

"No need to tell me twice." The brunette snorted.

"Good. The last thing I need is for a battle to break out inside the base. We're allies now."

Buttercup's face twisted in disgust and Blossom felt like joining her, but propriety made her keep a neutral expression. "Yes it's weird and uncomfortable, but we have to make this work. This could be the only edge we get on Mojo. And I for one, am willing to take all that I can get."

Blossom watched the emotions war on her sister's face until, finally, she gave her a small nod.

"Fine…I'll try, but only if you keep that bastard away from me as much as possible." She said with an intense look.

Blossom nodded in agreement. "I'll try my best. No promises."

"I suppose that's the best I'm gonna get huh?"

"Afraid so." The redhead replied with a small smile.

"Damn." Buttercup kicked at the loose rocks on the road and then shrugged. "I'll take it. Better than nothing." She returned Blossom smile with a smirk of her own and a wink.

"Good."

"Hey guys! We're here!" Bubbles called from up ahead.

She stood at the mouth of a cross street and had pulled up a drainage grate. Waving an excited hand, the blonde bounced lightly on her toes. How in the world did she still have so much vigor after a night like theirs? Her sister might just be the answer for a perpetual energy source.

Blossom briefly triangulated their position as she and Buttercup stepped up to the grate. They weren't exactly at the base yet, but they were damn close. A few more minutes of walking and they would be at the gates. Oh how sweet it would be to feel safe again. All this looking over their shoulder and ducking Simian patrols on the way home had her nerves just about shot.

They had almost been caught a couple of times but thanks to Bubbles quick thinking they managed to avoid most of their pursuers. She honestly hadn't expected them to react that quickly to her team's attack. Mojo's bases were getting their feet underneath them and that presented all sorts of future headaches for her.

Blossom let out a mental sigh as she followed Buttercup down into the darkness. Depressing thoughts such as those could wait for another time. Right now she should focus on their victory. It wasn't often something like this happened, she should enjoy the moment. Wasn't that what Bubbles always said?

"Ow! Son of a bitch."

Butch tumbled down into the tunnel after them much to Buttercup's amusement…and if Blossom was honest, to her own too. He stood up with a scowl and a fierce glowing glare, daring them to comment on his less than graceful descent.

Blossom and surprisingly Buttercup both kept their mouths shut and instead started walking down the tunnel, easily dodging around the familiar obstacles littering the ground. While the boys' clumsy attempts to follow them slowed the group down a bit, it did bring a small and maybe somewhat cruel smile to Blossom's face.

She couldn't help her amusement. It was a tad mean but come on…the Rowdyruffs stumbling through the dark and swearing up a storm? It was the little things in life that brought her joy. Besides Brick had gotten more than enough amusement from her mishaps recently, it was her turn now.

They walked another minute or two before a bright light flashed on and lit up the tunnel with the intensity of several high powered, military grade spotlights.

Oh god…those things sure did the trick when it came to blinding invaders, but dear Lord!

Several hisses and a few swears from behind her told Blossom that she wasn't the only one affected by the abrupt luminescence. Rubbing harshly at her eye, she raised her offhand and waved at the unseen guards.

"It's Blossom! Stand down!"

Just as quickly as the blinding light appeared, it disappeared and was replaced with a much more manageable area light. Mutters of "it's the General" were tossed around and through the brightness Blossom saw figures moving towards them. As she blinked away the spots dancing across her eyes, she heard multiple guns chambering rounds.

"Freeze! Put your hands where I can see them and move away from the ladies!" A harsh voice commanded.

_Oh shit._

She forgot about the boys. Waltzing in with three mysterious men probably didn't look good. It also didn't help that she hadn't exactly informed anyone about their…arrangement with the Ruffs yet. In fact, no one in the base actually knew about the boys continued existence.

Perhaps keeping them a total secret had been a little extreme, especially now that she had to deal with the consequences.

"Mitch! Please, they're with us. Everything's fine." Bubbles voice called from the back.

The lead figure resolved itself into her trusted Lieutenant as he stepped forwarded and lowered his weapon a fraction of an inch.

"If that's so, then why wasn't I informed of guests?" He asked suspiciously.

"Because I forgot to tell you about them." Blossom said with a sigh as she finally regained her eye sight.

She gave Mitch a very deadpan look and he sheepishly lowered his weapon to the ground. All around the other guards were hesitantly doing same as Blossom gave them all 'The Look'.

"Now that I know our readiness levels are working just fine, please let us through. It's been a hell of a long day and we're injured, not to mention I need to make some reports before I turn in."

Mitch hesitated a second before giving his guards a nod and stepping aside. "Sorry General but don't want to be too careful."

He fell in step beside her as she advanced to the gate. "I understand Lieutenant, next time I'll give you some warning."

"That would be extremely welcome seeing as we've been looking for you three all night. I go into the Command Center only to find you missing and- _bloody hell!_" Mitch had taken a moment to examine their guest and finally realized who they were.

Instantly his gun came up again and his soldiers followed suit barely moments behind. It was good to know they were well trained but seriously?

Mitch grabbed Buttercup with one hand and pushed her behind him while he kept his gun sights on the three ruffians. "Down on the ground! Hands where I can see 'em!"

His team had the boys surrounded and looked ready to fill them full of lead at twitch of a finger. This was just lovely.

"Lieutenant-" Blossom began.

"Jesus Christ! Why didn't you tell me you were being held hostage! We do have code words for this sort of thing. I said DOWN ON THE GROUND!" Mitch cut her off while glaring menacingly at the boys.

They were woefully unaffected and looked to be more bored than anything else. Boomer was the only one among them that seemed the slight bit nervous, Butch and Brick just looked amused. Well, Butch did, Brick still wore that stupid calm façade of his.

"_Lieutenant._" Blossom tried again, only to be ignored as Mitch yelled at the boys again.

If this kept up someone was going to end up shot, whether it by accident or intentional. That was something she really didn't want or need at this moment. Time for some physical intervention.

Blossom stepped up to Mitch and forcefully grabbed his rifle out of his hands, much to his shock and horror.

"Lieutenant! I said stand down!"

The poor brunette blinked at her a few times before he overcame his shock.

"But-but General! It's the Rowdyruffs! They're evil! They're probably working for Mojo! What are you doing with them!?" He argued while pointing wildly at them.

Blossom put on her best patient face and waited for Mitch to stop his sputtering. Once he ran out of steam a minute later, she patted him gently on the arm.

"That might have been so ten years ago Lieutenant but things are different now."

He gave her a very confused look as she turned around and starting walking through the gate.

"They're our allies and you will treat them as such." She threw over her shoulder.

He stopped dead at her words but she kept right on walking. His face was probably priceless, but really she was just too tired to care anymore and there were still things that needed to be done before she could turn in. First things first, medical attention.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her raid team trailing behind her with Mitch and his troops 'escorting' them through the lobby. He was glaring at the boys like they were criminals. Bubbles was trying to reason with him but he didn't seem to be having any of it.

It didn't seem to bother the boys any, they appeared to be star struck by the base as they entered the lobby. Star struck might have been too strong of a word, but they did look impressed, even Brick which was a miracle in and of itself.

It was easy to forget that they had been practically isolated from everyone and everything for the last few years. This was probably the first time they had seen this many people in a good long while. Culture shock to say the least.

Word preceded them as they walked towards the Med Clinic and soon the lobby was filled with curious troops wondering about the mysterious guests following the General around. It didn't take long for the identity of the boys to spread through the throng and soon those curious gazes turned into hard granite like glares.

Blossom would have to address the base at some point in the very near future and explain their new allies to everyone. Probably tomorrow. For now, as long as nothing got physical she'd let the glares slide.

It didn't seem to be bothering the boys much anyways. Brick was ignoring everyone coldly, like usual, Butch was glaring right back, which was also pretty par for the course, and Boomer was doing what he always seemed to do since she had been reintroduced to him; keeping his head down and trying to look invisible.

Bubbles at least seemed to be affronted on their account. She was sending frowns left and right as people glared and muttered at the newcomers. A few did shuffle off back to work when her frown reached them but most were too busy with their disdain to care.

Did she mention she had a migraine? Ugh. Hopefully the Med Clinic would offer some relief.

Climbing the steps, she opened the door and waved the group through. As Mitch made to enter she held up a hand.

"Wha-?" He began but she cut him off.

"You, oh honor guard, will stay out here and guard the entrance. And get this mob back to work. Last time I checked we still had a base to run." With that she turned smartly on her heel and walked on without a backward glance.

As she entered the Med Clinic the sight that greeted her could be considered almost comical. The Professor sat in the middle of the room with the most bug eyed expression she had ever seen on him. He sat gaping wordlessly at the three terrors known as the Rowdyruff Boys while Bubbles helped Buttercup onto a nearby gurney.

As Blossom stepped into the room, he snapped out of his trance and looked between with panic.

"Blossom! The, the-"

"Yes dad, it's the Rowdyruff Boys. Our new allies." She felt like some cheap game show girl as she waved a hand at the three.

Like they were much of a prize.

The Professor blinked in surprise and sent her a curious look to which she simply nodded in reply. She was telling the truth…as unbelievable as it was.

She was definitely starting to regret this whole secret keeping thing. This triumphant return would have been a lot smoother if she had prepared the base for their arrival beforehand. It also would have been helpful if she had _known_ the boys were actually going to be in the base beforehand.

Damn those puppy dog eyes. They could make her do nearly anything.

"Allies? What do you mean? Wh-Where have you girls been? And why are these three with you?" The Professor asked as he stared suspiciously at the boys.

"We went on a raid and with the boys help, it was a big success." Bubbles answered as she turned to get some supplies from a nearby cabinet.

"Wait, _what?"_ The Professor wheeled around to follow Bubbles as she seemed to be the only one willing to answer his questions.

Blossom would let her have that job, she really wanted to get these glass shards out of her skin and finish up those reports as soon as possible. Bed was looking better every passing minute. Speaking of beds, she was going to need to find a place for the boys to stay while they were here.

"We've been running into the boys for the last two months and after taking some time to talk to them, we discovered they're against Mojo just like us. So we teamed up and took down one of his robot outposts last night." Bubbles paraphrased as she laid out her tools.

All the commotion they were making caused Ms. Keane to appear from the back room. Blossom waited for the inevitable explosion of questions and confusion, but surprisingly it never came. The former teacher came to an abrupt stop when she spotted her three former students but she amazingly enough graced them with a smile instead of a scowl and then moved to help Bubbles.

It was astounding to see, especially with all of the negative reactions the boys had been garnering in the past five minutes. But then again, it was Ms. Keane, she could take anything in stride it seemed. Hell, if Mojo barged in she probably wouldn't even bat an eye.

The boys themselves were staying eerily quiet. They followed Bubbles instructions to the letter as she ordered them to sit down on the various gurneys around the room. They all appeared to be slightly thrown off balance but it was probably a weird experience to see people from your past just pop up after so many years.

"So then we escaped through the gate and made our way here. Since the boys were injured I suggested we bring them here for treatment. Can't have our new allies getting infections right?"

Blossom blinked back into reality as she realized she had zoned out for most of the blonde's explanation. The Professor was nodding thoughtfully as Bubbles looked at him with a smile.

"Would you mind lending us a hand please Daddy?" She asked sweetly.

"Yes, yes of course. Ms. Keane?"

He still looked suspiciously at the three former villains but Blossom knew the doctor in him couldn't refuse treatment to anyone who was wounded. Together with Ms. Keane, he advanced towards Butch and cautiously began to look at his bleeding shoulder.

Giving Blossom a smile of success, Bubbles turned back towards Buttercup and looked at her side. It was probably the most grievous of their wounds. Side GSWs tended to bleed, a lot. If her sister had been a regular human without their Chemical X enhanced anatomical structure she probably would have bled out already.

Seeing everyone getting to work it reminded Blossom of her own reason for being here. After washing her hands, she calmly began removing the various pieces of glass embedded into her skin. The ones in her arms hurt, but not as much as the ones decorating her collar bone. Damn clavicle just had to be right up against the skin didn't it?

As she worked, she couldn't help but notice that a certain pair of red eyes were following her every move. She didn't look back but the feeling of being watched set her skin crawling. It was downright unsettling.

What the hell was he thinking about anyway? He had seemed pleased at their raid results but seeing as he was her counterpart, he was probably already thinking of the next attack. How they could make it better, more efficient, less dangerous.

He was also probably going to want to run the next raid too.

Well, he wouldn't be getting _that_ wish and he was just going to have to deal with it. Sure, he had proven himself capable today, but that didn't mean she was going to fall at his feet and give in to all of his demands; especially when she was way more qualified to lead than he was.

Brick was going to learn the hard way that this was her base and they were going to follow her rules.

**Period.**

* * *

'No major organs hit, that's good. Bleeding is at tolerable levels, pulse is still strong, her eyes aren't dilated, and the drugs…are taking effect.' Bubbles thought to herself as she examined Buttercup's gun shot.

The brunette was starting to waver in and out of consciousness as the IV drip pumped morphine into her system. Her sister could use the respite. Despite her protests, Bubbles knew the walk to the base had taken a toll on her. She was definitely going to need some bed rest for the next few days.

Now, she just had to see if any pieces of that bullet had been left behind. If there were none, than all she would need to do were a few stitches. Easy as pie.

As Bubbles turned to get her tools she noticed the other occupants in the room, specifically one very awkward looking one who seemed to be absolutely lost as to what to do.

A small smile twitched unconsciously to her lips as she watched her counterpart. He really was different, odd one might say. How he seemed so nervous yet still presented a dangerous aura at the same time was baffling to her.

He kinda reminded her of a little abused dog; wanting some kind of human contact but afraid to get to close and defensive if approached in the wrong way. He always seemed that way, out of place. It made Bubbles feel bad. She never really had that sort of a problem; she always felt at home where ever she was. Expect a Mojo base, but that was different.

Well, this presented her with the perfect opportunity to begin his friend rehabilitation! She was going to get him used to being around people again! She had promised herself and a Powerpuff Girl never went back on a promise.

"Boomer." She called softly.

Most of the room's occupants looked up at her as she broke the silence but soon returned to their own work. It took the blonde man a moment to realize she had called his name. It was actually kinda cute how he looked around to make sure she wasn't addressing someone else.

She stifled a giggle and waved him over. Hesitantly, he approached her and stepped up to the gurney.

"…Yes?" He asked weakly.

"Would you mind helping me patch up Buttercup? I just need you to hand me the tools when I ask for them." Bubbles replied with a small smile.

The blonde looked down at the tools and then back at her before offering a nod. Bubbles directed a small smile at him before turning back to her work.

It went smoother than she had expected. At first he stumbled when she called for some of the more technical tools but he recovered quickly enough, and the blood didn't seem to bother him one bit. Thinking back on it, when they had first met he hadn't made any fuss about his arm when she was patching it up either.

Living out here, fighting the Simian army as he was, there must have been times when he or his brothers had to sew each other up. This was probably nothing terribly new to him. Well, maybe the variety of tools and supplies were but not the action itself. He watched her passively as she continued her administrations.

Sometime during her work, the Professor and Ms. Keane had managed to finish treating Butch and moved on to the Ruff leader. His face looked even more stony than usual as the Professor began trying to dig out the bullet fragments in his leg. Bubbles didn't envy him, even with the morphine drip Ms. Keane had set up before the impromptu surgery leg wounds were downright painful, almost as painful as a side wound.

Speaking of which, Bubbles looped the last knot of her stitch and clipped the thread. Where just a few minutes ago had been an angry wound, now a neat row of stitches now rested. It would heal up quickly but Buttercup was going to have to take it easy for the next few days.

Oh Lord above, it was going to be fun trying to get her to cooperate with that order.

Bubbles picked up a nearby towel and wiped the excess blood off her hands. Beside her, the ever quiet boy in blue began picking up all the bloodied instruments.

"Where would you like me to clean these?" He asked quietly.

"Oh, there's a sink over there, by the back. Just make sure to use hot water and rinse them really good with soap. You can leave them in the sink afterwards." She replied, pointing at the far end of the room.

Her counterpart nodded and walked off without a word.

Well, it hadn't been terribly successful, but she had gotten two sentences out of him. Next time she was going to aim for four. It would no doubt be easier to do when she wasn't working on a bleeding body. That always hampered her conversation ability, surprise, surprise.

Now that Buttercup was all stitched up and sleeping peacefully, it was time to check on her other sister. Bubbles washed her hands briefly in a nearby sink before making her way over to Blossom, who was having a hard time trying to bandage herself up.

"Have you put antiseptic on it yet?" Bubbles asked as she lightly stole the roll of bandages from her sister's hand.

"Of course I have." The redhead replied testily.

"I was just checking. Here, let me help you."

Bubbles gently took one of her sister's arms and winced at the damage. The lacerations had dug inch long furrows into the under sides of her arms. Some ranged from as small as a few centimeters to as big as three inches. That had to have hurt.

Taking up the antiseptic, Bubbles spread it across her wounds despite Blossom's mild protests. It never hurt to be careful, especially with dirty glass wounds like this. After putting on the medicine, the blonde carefully wrapped both of Blossom's arms.

Her upper chest presented more of a problem. The cuts weren't as many or as deep as the ones on her arm but they still needed to be covered up. In the end, Bubbles settled on pasting a bunch of band aids on them. The aftermath left Blossom looking like she had been forced to play doctor with a three year old, but at least she was cleaned up.

As Bubbles rolled up the remaining length of bandages, she stole a quick look around the room. She and Blossom had the area pretty much to themselves. Butch was standing protectively near Brick's gurney as the Professor and Ms. Keane worked on the Red Ruff and Boomer was still off at the other end of the room, cleaning the utensils.

It was the perfect opportunity to talk to Blossom privately…well, maybe not the perfect time but she was getting too impatient to wait any longer.

"Sooooo, what did you think about the boys on the raid today?" She tried to ask as normally as possible.

She didn't want to seem too eager to hear the answer. Both Blossom _and_ Buttercup had talked at length to her about why she should avoid "cozying up" to the enemy before the raid. If Blossom thought she was enjoy the Ruff's company then there was little doubt she'd be in for another lecture. That was something she really would like to avoid.

Her sister took her time answering, inspecting the bandages on her arms thoroughly. When she did finally look up and address Bubbles she seemed…uncertain.

"They did…better than I thought they would." She groused after a minute of deliberation.

Bubbles merely raised an eyebrow in response.

Blossom sighed softly. "Okay, a lot better than I thought. Even with Butch revealing our location and generally being a pain in the ass, he handled himself well in battle. He might not be inclined to think much outside of a fight but during one he's quick on feet. I'll give him that."

Her sister's sullen frown nearly made Bubbles giggles. Blossom often thought herself a very good judge of character and normally that was the truth, but when it came to the Rowdyruffs…well there was some baggage there that might have clouded her vision. This whole revising her opinion of them must have been severely annoying to her.

"Boomer did really good too. He was quiet, didn't try to boss me around or anything. I think the next raid will go even better than this one." The blonde said with a smile as picked up the last of the supplies.

"We'll see about that. First we have to get through the next couple of weeks." Blossom's normally pink eyes were darkened with a brooding look. She obviously wasn't looking forward to housing the boys here.

Well she was just going to have to get over it. Bubbles didn't hold any hopes that the upcoming weeks would be easy or even peaceful, just keeping Butch and Buttercup in the same area was asking for trouble, but hopefully by the end of it they would all be able to live with each other a little better.

Either that or there would be a lot of visits to this particular building.

* * *

By the time Boomer had finished cleaning up all the tools, the Professor and his former kindergarten teacher had finished patching Brick up. Stepping up quietly next to Butch, he looked down at his older brother curiously.

Brick was rarely in any position of 'weakness'. He was always alert and ready for battle, whether it be physical or mental. To see him lying doped up on a bed was…different.

As far as Boomer could remember, they had never been in this position before. Brick was usually the one that got off lightly when it came to injuries. It seemed that Butch was always the one that was confined to bed rest.

"Make sure he stays off that leg for at least three days. I'm not sure if you boys have the same remnant healing factors like the girls but that should be enough time for the deeper areas to begin healing. He won't be able to walk around normally for at least a two or three weeks." The Professor broke through Boomer's inner thoughts as he wheel around to face them.

Butch scowled at the news and directed a glare at the wheelchair bound man. Seeing as his brother wasn't going to play nice, it was probably going to be left up to him to keep the peace. Joy.

"Understood." Boomer muttered with a nod.

Just because he had to keep the peace didn't mean he had to speak a lot. In fact, in his experience, it was usually the less you spoke the better off you were.

Once again the Professor gave the two of them that piercing suspicious look that made the hair on Boomer's neck stand up. He had no clue what he was searching for but he hated it when people stared at him like that. It was weird and unsettling. Plus it was likely to provoke Butch into doing something that was both reckless and stupid.

Thankfully the intense moment was broken by Blossom's voice as she walked up to them.

"Alright. For the rest of today I want everyone to spend it recovering. Tomorrow morning we will sit down and discuss the raid, go over what went wrong and how we can fix those issues on the next one. Bubbles, please find the boys somewhere to sleep. I need to finish some paper work."

His blonde counterpart nodded easily to her sister' command and looked him and Butch. The smile she gave them made that weird feeling return to his stomach. In fact, his face felt like it was heating up a bit.

…It was probably just exhaustion catching up with him, or that right hook to the jaw he had taken when he and Bubbles were storming the administration building. Yeah, that was probably it. Or he was coming down with something.

"Follow me!" Bubbles chirped as she turned on her heel and practically skipped out to the lobby.

Where did she get all that energy?

A nudge to his side brought Boomer out of his revere. He looked over side and saw Butch motion towards their sleeping brother.

"Pick him up, I can't carry anything." He ordered.

Boomer didn't argue and gently threw Brick over his shoulder, okay, maybe not quite as gently as he could have but certainly more so than Butch would have. Together the brothers left the Med Clinic and chased after their blonde guide.

She wasn't hard to spot in the sparsely populated base; no one had bright blonde hair like hers expect him. That and there weren't many people about in the first place. A few clusters of Resistance troops stood about in small groups, muttering under their breaths and glaring at them as they passed by.

Butch of course, had no trouble glaring right back and scowling at the gawkers. A few cringed away from the sight but most probably felt security in their numbers and kept their stance.

As for himself, well he tried to be as invisible as possible, which was hard to do while you were carrying another being. On the plus side, Brick's unconscious form provided him a barrier from half of the glares and scowls.

Maybe he had been a little naïve to expect any different but honestly the animosity was catching him a little off guard. Yeah they had been terrible kids, but that had changed now. They weren't…as terrible. Butch hadn't sadistically tortured anyone in at least three months.

That was progress.

Bubbles appeared to be ignorant of all tension in the air and continued her merry little way towards a tunnel on the far end of the enormous lobby. It seemed less crowded than the other areas, and darker. As they neared the tunnel mouth the bright lights that filled the lobby fell away and the only illumination was provided by portable lamp stands.

Except for Bubbles' humming, the travel through the tunnel was silent. Butch was too busy sulking, Brick was unconscious, and as for himself, he didn't feel much like talking. Not that he ever did. It was surprising that Bubbles wasn't trying to question them though. She seemed like the kind of person that would ask you a hundred questions if she had the chance.

Almost like a kid.

And then, as if his silent thought summoned them, as soon as the group exited the tunnel a group of small people swarmed from the darkness and overwhelmed their guide.

For one panicked second, Boomer actually thought they might have been the mole men that Butch had always said lived underground and ate humans. Then sense kicked back in and he realized that was a stupid thought.

A storm of laughter erupted from the pile of children as Bubbles managed to steady herself. Bending down she engulfed as many as she could in a huge hug. Impressively enough, she got all of them. They were a little squished but that didn't dislodge their wild grins.

"Bubbles!"

"Did you get me anything?!"

"We haven't seen you in like three days!"

"It's been five Kevin!"

"Why do you have a hurt cheek?"

"Who are they?!"

"Three!"

"Five!"

The swarm of questions shot out rapid fire and Boomer found himself completely confused.

What the hell was this? Where did these kids come from? Butch had the same unsure expression on his face as he looked at the children. It was a good thing Brick was unconscious for this, the noise level alone would have had him ready to burst a blood vessel. Boomer was pretty sure he hated kids.

Bubbles on the other hand, apparently loved them. She laughed in delight at all the questions being thrown her way as she released her hug.

"Haha, okay, okay, calm down. " She chuckled as she held up her hands for silence.

The children surprisingly obeyed her command and quieted down. They still hopped from foot to foot and looked ready to burst out with more questions any second, but for the moment they were blessedly silent.

"No, I didn't get you anything John, sorry. Kevin, Betty, it's been four days. Erin, I got this bruise from the bad people we're fighting, and these…" She gestured to back towards Boomer and his brothers. "Are my new friends."

All at once the attention of the entire group shifted his way and Boomer inexplicably froze. The stares of children shouldn't be intimidating, after all they were kids. But for some reason, those little eyes seemed to pin him in place and render him incapable of moving.

The silence held for maybe a fraction of second…then they pounced. Boomer suddenly found himself surrounded by children, flooding him with questions.

"Your friends? I've never seen them before."

"He's got the same hair as you!"

"Why is that guy's nose crooked?"

"Is that a dead guy?!"

"He's not dead! He's just sleeping."

"Hey, your eyes glow too! Just like Bubbles!"

"Are you related to the Powerpuffs? You look alike!"

"Why do you have so many knives?"

"Hey mister! You gots a cut on your face!"

"Can I have a piggy back ride too?"

"You wanna play with us?!"

"Did you fight the bad peoples with Bubbles?"

"What about-"

"Alright! Alright! Hehe, give them some air guys." Bubbles interrupted the torrent of never ending chatter and pulled them back.

The kids relented and gave them some much needed space. Boomer gratefully sucked in a lungful of oxygen and let it out slowly. Now he knew what it felt like when he and his brothers ambushed people.

Kids weren't nearly as intimidating as Butch might have been but still the suddenness of it all left him off kilter, Butch too. The brunette hadn't even sworn yet, that proved just how shocked he was.

A moment passed and then…

"What the fucking hell is this?!"

Looks like he spoke too soon. A chorus of gasping rose up from the horrified children and the little brunette boy turned and tugged excitedly on Bubbles sleeve.

"He said a bad word Bubbles!"

"Yeah he did! I heard it!"

"I heard it too!"

"What's fucking mean?"

It was Bubbles' turn to gasp. She turned towards the dark skinned boy who asked the question with stern look. "_That_ is a bad word too Kevin. You shouldn't say it."

The poor little boy, Kevin, looked properly chastised and frowned pitifully up at the blonde Puff. "But that guy said it! If it's bad why did he say it?"

"Yeah! Ms. Ellen says we ain't sus'posed to say bad words!"

A trio of agreements rang out from all the other children, except for the little blonde boy towards the back Boomer noticed. He hadn't participated nearly as much as the other children had. Maybe he was shy? Seemed likely.

Bubbles shot Butch a fierce glare over her shoulder and then turned back to the kids.

"Well, sometimes grown-ups forget to watch their language and bad words just slip out. I'm sure Butch was just surprised at all of you ganging up on him and it accidentally came out. _Right_ Butch?" There was a distinct edge to her voice that was entirely unexpected coming from Bubbles.

Butch looked for a half a second like he might ignore her not so subtle warning but thankfully common sense prevailed and after that half second he nodded sullenly with a frown on his face.

"And he's very sorry." Bubbles added and once again glared at him over her shoulder.

The muscles in Butch's neck stood out prominently as he clenched his teeth in annoyance. "…yeah…sorry." He finally ground out.

Bubbles, satisfied with his apology, nodded primly to the group of kids. "See? No harm done and he won't _ever_ say bad words again." If that wasn't a subtle threat, then Boomer didn't what was.

The Blue Puff let the topic fade and instead grabbed two of the kids' hands and began walking again. "Now I know you all have lots of questions but let's get your new neighbors settle in first okay?"

…wait…neighbors?

"Neighbors? They're gonna live with us?!" The auburn haired girl shouted.

"Yep!" Bubbles replied cheerfully. A chorus of cheerful yells erupted from the children after her announcement.

While the children were celebrating brand new playmates, both him and Butch were looking at each other in shock…and maybe a bit of dread.

Seriously? They were housed around _children_? This had to be a joke or some cruel prank. He knew the Puff's didn't necessarily like him or his brothers but they weren't really so mean as to punish them like this were they?

The Ruffs followed Bubbles and her gaggle of kids dumbly as she led them towards one of the few old train car littering the area. Turning around, she graced them with a bright smile.

"And here's where you boys will be staying! I know it's not much but it's out of the way and nobody will bug you…hopefully. That includes their new_ neighbors_." She added with a suspicious look at the grinning kids beside her.

She was totally serious about housing them here…next to children…loud children…excited children. Oh this was a train wreck waiting to happen. No pun intended.

Did Bubbles even realize how likely the odds were that Butch would blow up on one of the little hellions? Boomer himself was giving his brothers three hours at best before he made one of them cry. Then of course that kid would go whine to one of the Puffs and then they would be in trouble.

Perfect.

"Okay, I'll go grab you guys some cots and food. You just get settled until I'm back. Come on kids, I'm going to need some help." The blonde Puff was answered with wild shouts of agreement and the group took off back towards the main lobby.

Boomer and Butch were left staring at their backs as they both tried to process the situation they now found themselves in.

"Fuck this shit."

Leave it to Butch to always find the perfect words for any occasion.

The brunette turned back around towards the rusted old train car and inspected it with a frown. Shoving aside the squealing door, he stepped in.

"What a dump." He complained as Boomer followed behind him.

His brother was right, this place was in some serious need of cleaning and repair. Cobwebs lined the top of the car and the dust across the floor was at least half an inch thick. This was going to play some serious havoc on his allergies.

At least the benches weren't too decayed, in fact some of them look almost brand new. Boomer chose one of the cushier ones to lay Brick down on. He was still out for the count but Boomer was glad for it. If the redhead had been awake he would have already been ordering his brothers around, telling them to clean the place.

Not that Boomer didn't plan on doing that, but no one liked getting ordered around. It got really annoying after a while, especially when Brick did it.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Butch said sarcastically as he kicked an old suit case over. Its impact sent up a wave of dust that sent both the brothers into a brief coughing fit.

"Just *cough cough* goddamn wonderful! *cough*" The brunette tried to wave away the dust from his face with little success.

"How the hell are we supposed to sleep here if we can't even breathe here? Dammit! First the stupid Puff alliance and then getting stuck with a bunch of noisy kids and now this shit? Gah!" Butch growled as he sat heavily down on one of the benches. Another plume of dust assaulted him and drew a few more hacking coughs.

Boomer took a seat of his own and tried not to look at his irritated brother. It was always better to avoid eye contact when he was in this sort of mood. Brick had once mentioned that small animals followed the same principle when it came to confronting their natural predator. Avoid eye contact and try to appear small and weak. It was actually pretty effective when dealing with Butch.

"At least the raid went well." Boomer said quietly through Butch's mutters.

The brunette gave him a cross look and then gestured to his shoulder. "You call this 'going well'? I can't use one of my arms and Brick can't even walk! How the hell is that going well? The stupid bitches messed up everything. If that damn Blossom hadn't been nagging me the entire time then we never would have been found out!"

Boomer shrunk back as Butch's voice rose along with his anger.

"Don't do that Butch! Listen to me Butch! I obviously have all the right answers! I'm a Powerpuff Girl and I can do whatever the hell I want cuz I'm always right! Bah! Screw 'em! We'd be better off with 'em. Stupid ass Brick and this stupid ass alliance bullshit." Butch went to cross his arms over his chest but the sling on his left arm prevented the movement.

He glared at the innocent piece of cloth before settling his hands in his lap with a scowl. Boomer waited a few seconds to see if his tirade would continue or not. When it appeared the answer was no, the blonde took a subtle breath.

"…Bubbles did pretty well on our part. She didn't slow me down at all." He said meekly. The gentle approach was usually the one that get him less bruises in the end.

"Well ain't that fucking wonderful for you? Count yourself lucky, if Pinkie had been on you team you'd probably be dead! I sure as hell almost was!" The grouchy Ruff replied.

"…was it really that bad?"

"YES! First she nags me the entire time we're trying to find that damn storage warehouse and then, when we do find it, she has the nerve to try and tell _me_ how we're going to blow all those robots up! ME! Can you fucking believe that?" He waved a hand in the air for emphasis.

"So while she's trying to be a controlling little bitch, of course we're found out and then the entire fucking base just comes pouring in and starts shooting at us like is duck season or some other shit like that! If she hadn't been weighing me down, I could have had that warehouse taken care of in minutes. Minutes!" Butch finished his rant by slamming his fist into the couch, raising yet another wave of dust.

"Gah! *cough cough* Fucking dust."

Boomer watched impassively as the brunette stewed in his own anger. Not that he didn't believe Butch, but the brunette had been known to exaggerate from time to time, and his dislike of the Powerpuffs was abundantly clear to anyone who knew him. He was pretty sure that Blossom hadn't been as much of a nuisance as Butch made her out to be.

In all honesty, it was probably thanks to Blossom that Butch was even here at all. His brother tended to ignore common sense when it came to destruction. He wasn't going to tell Butch that however, he liked his teeth where they were. Besides, it was going to take more than a few word from him to change the Green Ruff's mind.

Boomer stayed silent and left Butch to his pouting- whoops, sulking. His sulking, never pouting. Much too sissy. Instead, the blonde thought over his own raid experience.

He was surprised at how well his counterpart had handled herself. When they had first started out, he hadn't known what to expect. Hell, he hadn't even known if Bubbles knew the meaning of stealthy. It certainly didn't seem likely, but she had. And she didn't shy away from a little violence either.

That had come as a shock, to see innocent little Bubbles slit a man's throat and then continue on like nothing happened. It made him wonder just how much she had seen over the last ten years. Enough to steal away her doe eyed view of the world certainly. No one stayed innocent for long in a world like this.

She was stronger than her appearance led him to believe, yet she still had that same bubbly attitude. How did she do that? Was it something she had to struggle with or did it just happen naturally?

His musings were interrupted by a knock at the door and a collection of giggles.

"What?" Butch asked sourly as the door opened.

Bubbles along with her retinue came through with the cots she promised and some of the kids held plates of still steaming food. The instant Boomer's nose caught a whiff of it his mouth started watering.

Dear God, was that actual meat? Fully cooked and ready to be devoured? When was the last time he had eaten such a rarity?

Bubbles giggled as he and Butch took up the plates of food from the orphans and began wolfing down its contents. Boomer was too engrossed in his food to care at the moment.

Sun above! This was amazing! He had no idea what it was but it beat granola bars any day!

He almost missed Bubbles parting words as he savored his new favorite dish.

"Blossom will be by in the morning to pick you guys up for the debrief. Don't wander around too much okay? Come on kids, I have some free time."

The group left with excited chatter but it was the furthest thing on Boomer's mind at the moment. He was too busy rethinking his evaluation of this base. If this was the type of food they ate here, he wouldn't mind this living arraignment at all.

* * *

**A/N: And everybody's settled in to the base for now! Sorry if this chapter was a bit blah, I was struggling with writer's block this week. It could be better but *shrug* time constraints and all that jazz. Hope it still had enough entertaining moments to keep you all engaged. Let me know with a review!**

**Welcome to a new favoriter Mangalover4321!**

**Reviewer Recognition:**

**ROC95: There will be plenty of more hilarity with Butch, he's just so perfect for it. :D**

**Guest: For Butch it's never too early to be thinking about the honeys :D And Blossom, well she kind of smoothed things over. Points for trying.*Shrug***

**The Cynic: I hope this chapter wasn't too dull to read and the reactions were entertaining. Not gonna lie, this one wasn't quite as up to par as some of my others. I'll just have to do better next chappie.**

**Scourge: :D Glad you caught the Misconceptions cameo I threw in there. I rather liked it. As for Bubbles, well you know, she's just so kind hearted, it's just her nature. As for the the shot in the foot thing...I'll see what I can do, but I make no promises! Thanks! Oh! And I've decided my favorite witch from Touhou was Aya Shameimaru, she's just too funny. :)**

**kidstandout: Well you know Blossom, she's used to being the leader...but so is Brick. It will definitely be interesting to see how they work it all out. And you can be sure it will be a very rocky road. :)**

**DawnRed: Thank you very much! I'm super glad that you like the story and where its going! I figured this was a different take then what others usually go for when doing a PPG post apocalyptic story. A bit more mature, a bit more in depth, and a bit more gritty. :D Thanks for the review and welcome to group!**

**Lily: Ah! Don't feel guilty! I understand :D It's all good. As for the chapter, well, we will get to see a bit more of the settling in phase in the next chapter. So if this chapter wasn't quite what you were hoping for maybe next one will be.**

**Guest #2: Thank you! I feel very gratified to be on someone's bookmark bar since I do that with all the stories I love. Thanks for the review!**

**Thanks everyone for all the love this week, I needed it. For some reason writing was just really hard, probably because I'm preparing for a Con next week but still, no excuses! Next week will be better quality I promise! Thanks for all the reviewers, favoriters, followers, and silent readers out there. Stay frosty.**

**Next Chapter: Well, the boys and girls have to heal up so that means no raids for the next two weeks or so. How is that going to go done? Probably not to well. You'll just have to wait until next Saturday to find out! Thanks!**


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